The Gift of Silence
by Comic Critic
Summary: Hermione comes to the age of Merlin, but Merlin himself is only a little boy still living in Ealdor. What bond will Hermione and Merlin have when they meet? How will things be different if Merlin has a guardian? More importantly, How will Hermione survive living in a different time with the inability to speak? (COMPLETE!)
1. Chapter 1

**Alrighty fanfiction readers! I have decided to do a Merlin and Harry Potter crossover. I am SUPER excited to release this because I have been working extremely hard on it! I tried doing something a bit different, but if not? Eh, I had a blast writing it! A note before we begin. I'm making Merlin's home village bigger than it was on the show. Also, I'm using the episodes, obviously, but nothing will be word for word! Just wanted to clear that up! Don't know why, but I felt I needed to tell you that I know the village is larger...I'm weird I know!**

 **Anywho! ENJOY!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter (the sad truth!)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Merlin was just a little boy. Carefree, marveling at the world and learning the ways of the village he lived in. Ealdor, an outlying village in the land of Essetir, was quiet and always busy, but always dull. The same work, day in and day out, nothing special. Everyday was equal to the last. Oh, some things did change once in awhile. Sometimes the other kids would tease him instead of pretending he wasn't there at all. Sometimes his mother would ask him to go into the forest and collect wood. A magnificent task for a seven year old. That's what his mother did that day, asked him to get some twigs for kindle. It was there, that he was silently gathering twigs, staying close to the border. A light caught his eyes. It was just a flash. Quick and bright, but peculiar. He was curious enough to drop the kindle he had collected and wander over to where he had saw the light. The closer he got, the louder a certain noise got. Breathing? No, it was more like gasping. Like it was trying to breath, but couldn't. He came closer and the noise became louder and louder. He could hear whimpering now. Whatever it was, it was afraid. He slipped through a patch of bushes and screamed when he saw the sight before him.

He screamed louder than he ever had before. He was so frightened, that he had another burst of accidental magic. A blast was heard and he watched a few smaller trees bend in the direction away from him, but none completely snapped. The bloody girl that was on the ground looked over to him, still clutching her throat and gasping for air. She was shaking. Shaking hard and he took a step back. There was just blood everywhere! He was so frightened. He could hear footsteps rushing towards where he was and the girl caught his eyes. He just stopped. She was frightening, but her eyes were entrancing. They were blood red. Not all of her eyes, just where there was supposed to be normal color. He gazed into them. They were absolutely calming. It's like she was communicating through her stare. The footsteps behind him became louder and he watched as the red turned to whiskey brown and he confessed that he missed the red. It looked more natural on her than the whiskey color.

He could hear people rush out from behind him and she looked looked back to the sky and gasped for breath as she was the whole time, but it looked like it hurt more. Merlin looked behind him and found three men from the village and his mother, Hunith. She hugged Merlin and cried with him in her clutches. She kept mumbling things about being frightened and afraid she lost him. "Hunith!" One of the men shouted to his mother. She looked up and finally noticed the girl on the floor. She shoved Merlin behind her and the men called her over to help. She knew little about healing, but just enough. She rushed over and looked to the woman. Too much blood for her to still be alive. She was clutching her neck and having a hard time breathing. Hunith reached a hand down to see the damage on the neck, but the girl flinched back violently. Hunith took her hand back and whispered, "are you alright enough for one of them to carry you back?"

The girl looked to the left, towards her son. Hunith also looked towards Merlin and saw him nod to the unfurled girl. She looked back up to Hunith and nodded. Hunith would investigate later, for now, she called over Lester, one of the men, and told him to carry the girl so they could carry her back to the village. Lester nodded and hoisted the shaking girl up. She breathed painfully and let out a sort of scream. Oh, the poor dear couldn't even breath right! Hunith grabbed her son's hand and the group rushed out of the forest and back to the village. They reached the sick house, it was empty right now so that would be fine. They did have a crowd of people though. The girl's blood was dripping everywhere. Lester set her on the table and she gave a violent shake. She was barely holding on. Hunith took charge seeing as they had no Physicians. They needed one right then, though. It was too late to find one, Hunith would just have to deal. "I need fresh water, bandages and a needle and thread! She'll need to be stitched. Merlin honey. Stay with her and make sure she stays awake while I gather some herbs."

Merlin nodded and off everyone went. Merlin stood still for a moment and looked at the girl in pain. Her eyes found his and they bled red again. He hesitantly walked over to her and she watched his every move. He shuffled nervously and whispered, "I'm Merlin." She seemed to be trying to reply. "Her-mi-o-ne" she rasped it out so quietly that he almost didn't hear it. He could tell it hurt her. "Hermione?" She nodded and tried to give him a smile with her bloodied face, but it turned into a grimace. He hesitantly took his hand and slowly brought it to the crown of her head.

She froze all shaking and he stopped. He stroked her bloodied hair and she closed her eyes and breathed deep. It seemed to relax her. "My mother does this when I'm scared. You're scared. So, I thought it would help" he whispered. She did manage a smile this time. He heard fast footsteps outside and he quickly removed his hand and her eyes turned back to the whiskey color. The pain seemed to return when her focus wasn't on something else. The shaking increased and she was almost panicking. His mother came in with bowls, vials, and herbs. She set them down on the empty table of the small house and the others came back with fresh water, bandages, and stitching supplies. Hunith started to work and the three men took Merlin out and explained that it was too scary for him to watch. He just nodded and walked around his small village.

A dirt road and many places for crop and livestock. There were stables for horses and carts for trading and selling. There were less than thirty little houses, but the village was strong. They helped each other and taught the children the ways of everything. Ealdor was outside of Camelot, but Merlin had always heard of how magnificent Camelot was. He wanted to go there someday. Merlin continued walking and noticed the blood trail. The other villagers were panicking and gossiping, but Merlin paid them no attention. He didn't know why he did it, but he followed the trail. It lead straight back to where Merlin original found Hermione. He just looked at the bloodied ground and wandered around. He felt pulled here. Like something was calling him there. He just wandered around. Stared at the trees and the leaves. Felt the little chill in the air that signaled the coming of fall. They had already started collecting supplies for the winter.

Merlin kept wandering around and finally saw a glint of something. He turned around and saw it shine again. He moved closer and finally got a good look at the object. It was a beautiful necklace. A silver chain, delicate, but sturdy. He lifted it to the light and looked through the gorgeous jewels. They weren't large jewels, but looked expensive enough. There were about five small jewels. The middle one was black jewel and was the largest. The one on the left of it was red and the one on the right was green. The one beside the red was yellow and the one beside the green was blue. All intense coloring and they all felt...strange. The jewels didn't hang off of the chain, but were intricately placed _in_ the silver chain. It looked important, but he needed to be careful. It looked as if someone would want to steal it for the value. It was a nice piece. He shook his head and looked around. He felt like he was missing something. It took him ten minutes to stumble upon what was missing. A bag. It looked to be a satchel. It was brown and worn and covered in blood. It must be hers. He picked up the bag and found that it weighed absolutely nothing. Odd. He quickly put the necklace in her bag and didn't look around her stuff, that would be invading her privacy and he did not want to do that. He put the bag over his shoulder and it went a bit farther than his knees. It was way too big for him, but it wasn't for him. The sky was beginning to darken and he was a ways away from his home. He needed to walk fast.

While Merlin was walking back home. Hunith was still stitching up her patient. The girl was still awake through everything. She refused to be put unconscious. Hunith suspected very deep seeded trust issues. The damage to the girl was extensive. Her face was scratched up, but the wounds only needed to be cleaned except for the one that started above her right eye down and ran straight to her cheek. That needed to be carefully stitched. Her neck was the worst. Four deep slashes that pierced her breathing tube. Hunith guessed that she would always be heavily scarred and unable to speak. She may be able to croak out a few words, but they would all be in pain. Hunith cleaned the wounds and stitched them up and placed bandages on with pain relieving herbs. Next was her arms which had carved letters on them. They were cleaned and bandaged. That was only the left arm though. On the other arm was just random slices up and down her arm. Her right hand also had a carved message on it. Hunith could not read it, but the writing was hard edged and painful looking. The woman's back looked to be lashed and those had to be treated last. Her legs were the least damaged. Only a large gash on her right calf and a broken left ankle. The break was hard to fix, but Hunith eventually managed with a bit of guesswork. The woman also had a large gash in her lower abdomen and it reached to her side and stopped thankfully. She had slashes in her chest over the place where the heart lay, in the form of an 'X.' After that was all bandaged and settled, she flipped over the girl that grunted it pain. Hunith grabbed some herbs for burns after she cleaned the whip marks. She hoped it would have the same effect that it does on a burn. She had nothing else to help. Hunith was no healer. Most of the stuff was borrowed from the neighbors.

The girl was breathing hard and Hunith knew she wanted to scream in pain. It must be difficult though. If she wanted to scream, she wouldn't even be able to. Poor dear would have to adjust to not speaking. It would be a hard transition, but she was a tough girl. Hunith looked up at a large bang at the door and quickly covered the girl to be decent. Hunith did give the girl a nightgown, but it would still be considerate to not show off her wounds. In the door tumbled Merlin. He had twigs in his hair and his face and clothes were dirty. He was holding a satchel and looked like he had been...wandering in the forest. "Merlin! You know you're not allowed in the forest without permission!" Merlin didn't even flinch at the scolding. ' _Strange_ ' Hunith thought. Merlin took off the satchel and held it close to him. "Hermione left it in the forest." Hunith got a questioning look. "Hermione?" Merlin nodded to the girl on the table who was staring at the bag. "How did you know her name?" Merlin looked at her like the answer was obvious. "She told me." Hunith decided to ask later.

Merlin looked into Hermione's eyes and they flashed a red before turning back. She motioned to the bag and he dragged it over to her. He put the bag on the ground next to the table Hermione was lying on and she reached down to the bag and flipped it open. She looked at him for a second and got a contemplative look. She then reached in the bag and pulled out what looked to be a scarf? No. Handkerchief? She smiled at him and motioned him closer. He stepped forward and she expertly tied the fabric around his neck and smoothed it out. She pulled out a wooden hand mirror and held it out to him. He held it far away from him and looked at the gift she'd bestowed upon him. A neckerchief! It was a darkish light red color and fit him perfectly. He smiled widely and couldn't help, but give her a half hug. Hunith started to reprimand him, but Hermione hugged him back. She could tell it hurt, but the smile on her face was more powerful than the pain.

Merlin let go quickly and blushed. Hermione chuckled and put the mirror back in her bag and closed it. He whispered to her, "your necklace is in there." The smile that broke out on her face was absolutely radiant. She mouthed to him, "thank you." He smiled back and nodded.

Hunith was on the verge of tears. Her Merlin had never talked to anyone besides herself. The kids didn't play with him and he didn't talk with any of the adults. He stuck to himself and was even more estranged due to his...abilities. Oh, no one else knew, but Merlin was prone to accidents of magic when his emotions got the best of him. Which labeled him as different and different was not always welcome. Hunith would always love Merlin, magic and all, but being alone all the time could not be good for him. Hunith hoped Hermione could get him out of his shell. That is, if she stayed. She may have family or was traveling and got attacked. What ever happened, she was not from around here. Her clothes were strange and Hunith could not place their origins. Maybe an escaped slave? That would explain the lash wounds. Hermione did need a place to stay. She couldn't just lay on the table all night, she needed to rest. Hunith couldn't think of any place besides taking one of their beds and she couldn't do that to Merlin, so Hunith would give up her bed for the night. "Alright you two. Hermione, would you be fine staying with me and Merlin then?" Merlin got another large smile on his face and started bouncing excitedly. "Oh, please, oh please, oh please, oh plea-." Merlin was cut off when Hermione put her hand over his mouth she just silently chuckled and nodded while he blushed a bright red. She removed her hand and tried to get up by herself. She shut her eyes in pain and Merlin was horrified to find tears. She was biting her lip so hard that it was bleeding and Hunith went to help straight away. Hunith steadied Hermione and made her stay still. She supported her back and she painfully croaked. Merlin was about to cry from seeing all the pain in Hermione's face. Hermione caught sight of Merlin's scared face and stopped moving. She stood up and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked down to Merlin with kind red eyes (Hunith could not see) and Merlin was just comforted by the smoothness and reassurance in the oddly colored eyes. Hermione motioned over to her bag and Merlin nodded eagerly. Hermione's eyes turned back to the brown and looked to Hunith. Hunith was staring in question and Hermione shrugged.

Merlin had the bag and off the three went. Very slowly. Hermione was in an extreme amount of pain, but kept a strong face for little Merlin. She didn't want to scare him again. They reached a house closer to the outer edge of the village that had its own little garden. Merlin opened the door for the two and Hunith and Hermione stumbled in. Hermione looked around. There was a small cooking area with a table and chairs to her right. The floors were wood and needed a sweep. There was a curtain set up by the back and two beds. One on the left wall and the other on the right that was all the one room. There was a chest at the end of each bed and plenty of extra blankets. Hunith sat Hermione in a chair and went over to the beds. She grabbed some extra blankets and set them on the floor. "I'll sleep on the floor tonight dear. You need comfort." Hermione was in an instant silent protest. Hunith wouldn't listen though. Hermione had enough. She would not take the kind woman's bed. So, she painfully spoke. "You ta-ke your o-own b-b-bed. I w-will be fine on th-e floor" she rasped painfully. It really hurt to talk. Hunith finally gave in and Merlin held Hermione's hand when she was about to get up. "Please take my bed. You're hurt and I'm fine. Please" Merlin pleaded quietly. Hermione looked into his eyes. He was desperately trying to be nice and really _wanted_ her to be comfortable. She nodded in defeat and he smiled triumphantly. Merlin helped Hermione shakily stand up and walked her over to the bed. She layed down and Merlin covered her with a blanket. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

That night, Merlin woke up from a nightmare. It was about fire and he could feel evil coming from it. He looked around tiredly and found Hermione awake. He was curious so he crawled over to the bed frightened. She turned her red eyes to him and he was fascinated to find them almost glowing. They were comforting, but had their own fear in them. She seemed to understand his problem and scooted over. She patted the spot next to her and he climbed in. He layed down on the pillow and closed his eyes. He didn't really fall asleep until Hermione stroked his hair. It was so comforting. He whispered to her, "goodnight Hermione." She just kept stroking his hair and he somehow knew that she said goodnight back. There, he slept peacefully the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Next chapter! We get so,e background info on our favorite witch!**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Merlin-not mine!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Hunith awoke at the normal time. The morning light was only just coming up and shining through the windows. She lifted herself from bed and looked on the floor to where her son was supposed to be asleep and panicked a bit when he wasn't there. He never woke up early! Hunith removed herself from bed and went over to check on Hermione. She was completely surprised when she saw that Merlin was clinging to Hermione's side and in deep sleep. Hermione had sort of a protective hold around the little boy and Hunith didn't know what to do! Should she wake them up or leave them in peace? Hunith decided to let them sleep. Hermione was still recovering and Merlin hadn't had a proper nights sleep since his nightmares began. Her poor boy was always so tired nowadays.

Hunith turned around and began to dress and wash and then gather supplies for breakfast. Hermione needed extra food. The girl was skin and bones! She tried to be as silent as possible through her morning activities, but it seemed that Hermione was already awake. She still had her eyes closed, but she was awake in a way. She was viewing her memories. Everything was blank. The notes she kept, her past life, how she got injured, and even who she was! Suddenly, it all came rushing back. She held the little boy tighter and let the information wash over her.

She was Hermione Jean Granger, born on September 19, 1979. At the moment, she was only about fifteen. How was she that young? She specifically remembered the end of her world when she was twenty? No. She was captured and tortured after they lost to war. Tortured for...a year? Yes, about a year and a half. She managed to finally free herself of the psycho, Bellatrix. Oh, how painful those months were. Cruccio's, carving, lashings were the worst, but she would not talk. She wouldn't tell them where the rest of the Order was. Then...Bellatrix took her voice. Not literally, but she was slashed up so bad that Hermione couldn't even breath. She remembered feeling like everything was lost and she had to make a desperate attempt at everything. She painfully chanted as Bellatrix was desperately trying to shut her up. She chanted and put all of her magic into it. Then...she vanished.

She disappeared into her mind and eventually, the rest of her battered body followed. She was told, by someone, some higher power, that she was to be sent back in time. She was to do anything to fix the future. She would be sent back far, very far, so maybe just her presence in the era she was sent to would change enough things. Hermione didn't understand where everything was coming from, but she understood. She had gained the knowledge that her most treasured possessions would follow her, all neatly packed away. Her age would be set back a bit. Due to the fact that time travel was always such a guessing game. What that higher power didn't tell her, was that she would still have all her injuries and every scar she's ever had would open up! Oh, she tried to scream, but all that came out was a painful breath, but she didn't give up! When someone finally did find her, it was a little boy. His hair was black and cut short. His skin was pale and his eyes a stunning blue. He wore medieval cloths. A blue tunic and brown trousers with brown boots. He did wear a jacket, Hermione could tell that the air was getting colder. The boy was only about seven and extremely frightened. He had magic, she could tell by the blast of magic the boy let off in fear. She needed to calm him.

So, she just looked at him. She had been told that her eyes were calming and could calm even a dying man. She was well aware that they were red. They began to seep the blood red color as her torture went on. Hermione didn't know why, but she never had a chance to look. The boy stopped what he was doing and she could hear fast footsteps approaching. So, they mustn't be far from the boys village or something like that. She couldn't have red eyes when the adults came. So, she made sure that her magic kept her eyes looking their whiskey brown color. It didn't take much magic, she could hardly even notice the change. Men and a woman appeared from the forest and she was forced from eye contact. The pain rushed back and she couldn't hear what the woman was saying to the boy. He was obviously her son though. The men who had surrounded her had called the woman Hunith and she had reached down and Hermione violently flinched back. She wasn't used to touching that wasn't pain. Hunith had asked if it was alright to carry her back and Hermione searched out the boy. She felt a connection to him and in her frightened state, looked to the boy as confirmation that they wouldn't harm her. When she got his affirmative, she allowed them to carry her. A large man lifted her up and it was so painful to move her neck.

When her and the boy were left alone, she learned that his name was Merlin. She had been through so much that she was barely shocked. Her mind processed that Merlin would grow to be a powerful sorcerer, but he was just a boy. She had told him her name the best she could, but he got it right. Then he stroked her hair and she froze. She was waiting for the pain, but it never came. He just stroked her hair and she relaxed. The pain dulled a bit and she closed her eyes. Oh, how she wanted to sleep, but she couldn't. She needed to be awake. She didn't trust any of theses people. Well, maybe Merlin, but he was just a kid. Hunith and the others came back with medical supplies and Merlin was ushered out. If Hermione were honest, she missed his touch. When he removed his hand, her whole body inflamed in pain again. Hunith made everyone leave and began to work on her battered up body. She tried to give Hermione a drought to make her unconscious, but she refused it. She did not trust this woman yet.

All she felt during the procedure was rippling pain. It wasn't all that bad though. With every wound Hunith stitched up, the better Hermione felt. It wasn't until her back was reached when Hermione wanted to scream in pain, but she couldn't even do that with the damage to her throat! She could only take gasps of breath and croak a few times. Her back hurt so much. It wouldn't get better for a long, long time. After everything was done, Hunith fetched her a nightgown and helped Hermione get into it painfully. When she was settled back on the table lying on her stomach, the door opened to reveal a dirt covered Merlin. He was carrying a satchel. Satchel? Oh right! That was her satchel! It had all of her previous belongings. Not everything she owned, but everything special. The one thing that wasn't in the bag was most likely the necklace she had managed to keep hidden throughout all her torture. She hid it behind a loose brick in the cell she was kept in. When she disappeared from the feet of Bellatrix, she had if clutched in her hands. She felt she would need it that day and she was right! The necklace was no longer clutched in her hands though. She was worried she would have lost it, it was extremely important.

Then, Merlin brought her bag to her and she opened the bag. It looked empty. She needed to test it. She eyed Merlin carefully and then got a perfect idea. Her father's neckerchief! That was one of her most treasured possessions. He gave it to her in his last hour and told her to keep it to remember him by and that he was sorry he couldn't give her something better. She reached in the bag and pulled out the red neckerchief and motioned for Merlin to her. He hesitated, but was ultimately too curious to pass up the offer. She tied or around his neck expertly and smoothed it out. It was a bit big for him, but she thought it made him look brighter. She smiled brightly and he looked at it in wonder. Had he never gotten gifts? Well, these were different times and the village looked poor. He wouldn't get any gifts, would he? She reached in the bag and pulled out her mother's hand mirror. She held it to Merlin and he took it. Once he saw what he looked like with it on, his face broke into a huge grin and he hugged her. Hermione hesitated for only a moment until she hugged him back. He stepped back and blushed and she silently chuckled. The hug did hurt, but it felt better than anything. She hadn't been hugged since the end of the war. The mirror was put back in the bag and he whispered to her that he put the necklace in her bag. She smiled so bright. She almost hugged Merlin again, but the pain was too much.

They ended up at Hunith's house, fighting over the beds and Merlin ultimately ended up giving up his bed and sleeping on the floor. Hermione grudgingly took his kind offer and layed down and let Merlin do his tuck in. She sat awake though. Sleep would not come to her as her mind raced. Halfway through the night, Merlin jumped up with a gasp and was breathing hard. He had a nightmare, Hermione could tell. He looked over to her and she tried to radiate as much calm in her state as she could. He was still frightened, but he dragged himself over to her bed. She made room for him and he gratefully cuddled up next to her. Hermione remembered what he said about his mother stroking his hair when he was scared, so she tried that. He calmed down and fell asleep. That night, was the first night that Hermione had gotten a peaceful rest in three long years.

Hermione opened her eyes and she was back to the present. She took a deep breath and looked to Merlin still slumbering beside her. She had a protective arm wrapped around him and she had no idea how that happened. She could hear cooking and smell it too! Food smelled divine! All she's had for the last few years was moldy bread and rations. She made sure her eyes were the right color and looked over to Hunith. She was cooking away and Hermione couldn't bother her. Merlin began to stir and she loosened her hold on him. He was sure to be embarrassed, but his head was resting on her right forearm and he had a death grip on her midsection. It hurt her back and everything else, but she didn't have the heart to move him. He was like her cat Crookshanks, curled up to her stomach. He woke up and quickly removed himself from her and managed to fall to the floor . He sat up and was blushing a Weasley shade of red. She managed an unladylike snort and she laid back on her back painfully. He started to stutter apologies as his mother chuckled at his embarrassed state. Hermione shook her head and waved away his apologies. He shut his mouth and got up to help his mother, but he was still blushing like mad. Even if it hurt, Hermione laughed the best she could. It came out choppy and extremely horrific, but it made her happy. She loved to laugh.

Hunith brightened at the sound of Hermione laughing. It was a painful laugh, but at least she was happy. She looked down to her blushing son and ruffled his hair. He blushed brighter and Hunith laughed. "Breakfast will be ready soon. Go collect some water and ask around for some extra bandages? Hermione will need some more." Merlin eagerly nodded and headed out.

Merlin was embarrassed. He had acted like a two year old in front of Hermione! She didn't seem to care though. She just laughed and he realized that he enjoyed making her laugh. When you laugh, your happy and he liked making people happy. Hermione deserved to be happy. He was confused by something though. He felt strange with Hermione. Like an invisible string was attached to her and he was being pulled her way. It wasn't that he needed to be next to her or anything, it just sort of labeled her as trustworthy and made him feel like he's known her for forever, but still knew nothing about her? His mind was just a jumbled up mess and he was only seven. Merlin reached the well in no time and started the chore of pulling up water. It was hard for him, being so small, but he managed. He poured the water in the basin and hauled it back to the house. His mother thanked him and he went back out for bandages. He decided to go to the nicer neighbors, the Hamlyn's.

They were an old couple with a son all grown up and moved out. They always gave his Mother sweet fruit and were just very kind. He knocked on their front door and Mrs. Hamlyn opened the door with a kind smile on her wrinkled face. Her greying hair was tied back and her apron was in place. "Merlin dear! What brings you by?" Merlin gave her a small smile and answered, "mother needs more bandages. Do you happen to have any?" The woman nodded and went back in the house. She came out a few minutes later and handed them to Merlin. "There you go dear! I'm guessing this is for the injured girl?" Merlin nodded and the woman sighed. "The poor dear. She's too young to have gone through anything like that. Is she doing any better?" Merlin nodded again and replied, "yes ma'am. She's feeling a lot better!" The woman smiled and said, "well good! You better go back dear. I'll drop off some fruit to your mother later." Merlin waved her goodbye and headed back to the house. He entered and was just in time for his mother to be finishing the food. She had the table set and Hermione already sitting there. She was out of her nightdress and clothed in...a tunic and trousers? He handed the bandages to his mother and gave her an odd look. Hunith chuckled and responded, "she refused to wear a dress! Must be something from where she's from." Merlin nodded and sat in the seat next to Hermione. He eyed her oddly and Hermione just rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair. Food was put in front of them and Hermione's stomach grumbled. She blushed and Hunith chuckled. "Eat up dear! Your positively skin and bones!" Hermione blushed further and began to eat. She didn't eat much actually, just half the bowl. She began to look a bit sick after that half. Hunith looked worried and asked, "do you not like it? Are you feeling alright?" Hermione nodded and pushed the bowl away. She looked around and pointed to her bag. Merlin quickly got up and retrieved the bag. Hermione pulled out parchment, ink, and a quill. She quickly scribbled down a note. She handed it to Hunith and it read: _The food was delicious. I've just spent so much time not eating that my stomach isn't used to a regular diet yet._ Hunith nodded and frowned. Hermione hadn't had a regular diet? So she couldn't just be a traveler. Hunith's bet was on escaped slave. She wouldn't pry though. It may push Hermione to close up and shy away from them.

Hermione needed a better way to communicate. Writing things down wouldn't be effective. She looked at Merlin and back to the paper and then up at Hunith. She got a contemplative look and scribbled another note, but handed it to Merlin this time. He read it very slowly and carefully. When he was finished, he had a big smile on his face. Hunith got a confused look and asked, "what?" Merlin handed her the paper and Hunith also got a smile. On the paper read: _Would you like to learn something new?_ Merlin looked at Hermione and answered, "yes! What are we learning? I love learning! I learned to read and write and do chores and-." He was cut off by Hermione covering his mouth again. He blushed and she removed her hand. She took the parchment back and wrote: _Sign Language. It will be a way for me to communicate without having to write anything down. I'll sign to you and you'll be my voice._ It took Merlin longer to read, but when he finished, he jumped from his seat and hugged Hermione. She sucked in a breath, but hugged the affectionate child back. She whispered painfully in his ear, "th-ank you." He nodded excitedly and skipped around the room happily. Hermione smiled at Hunith and gave her the note she had given Merlin. Hunith smiled brightly and took Hermione's bandages hand. "Thank you." Hermione took on a confused expression and Hunith replied, "he's so lonely. None of the other kids play with him and he's so quiet. I can only teach him so much, so thank you." Hermione nodded and smiled softly. Merlin sounded a lot like Hermione when she was little. Merlin stopped bouncing around and looked to Hermione. "Why are you crying?" Hermione raised a hand up to her face and felt the tears. She blushed and wiped them away with her bandaged hand. She dismissed the question and put on a smile. Merlin wasn't fooled though. He was going to ask another question when Hunith cleared her throat and interrupted with, "we need to change Hermione's bandages Merlin. Go out and help the others." Merlin nodded and seemed to drag himself away. Hermione chuckled and let the kind woman clean her wounds and change the bandages.

Meanwhile, Merlin asked around if he could help anyone. They all declined his offer, so Merlin just walked around, looking for something to do. He stepped past two gossiping women and was about to continue on, but then he heard the words, "injured girl." He wanted to hear what they had to say. He hid just in hearing range and listened to the two women. He knew they were Mrs. Reeve and Ms. Topin. Mrs. Reeve was head of gossip in the small village. She was a plump woman with short brown hair and round glasses. She was always whispering to someone and that someone was usually Ms. Topin. She was a widow, her husband was hung in Camelot for suspicion of sorcery. She was thin and always had her long black hair in a bun. She was older than Mrs. Reeves, but acted younger than the plump woman. She still wore her wedding ring and refused to take her maiden name. She loved her husband, but no one ever figured out if her husband was a sorcerer.

Mrs. Reeves began with, "did you see all the blood on the poor girl? Lester was absolutely covered in it!" Ms. Topin nodded sadly and questioned, "what do you think happened to the poor girl?"

"I wouldn't know. She was so young Lester told me. Only about fifteen years old!"

"Fifteen? Oh! To go through that at such a young age! Well, at any age really, but she hasn't even lived a her life yet!"

"Such a shame. I hear Hunith took her in?"

"Oh yes. Her boy, Merlin, must be excited to have a friend."

"Unless the girl leaves? Maybe she was just traveling?"

"No. Looked more like she was running from something. Tortured even!"

"Maybe she's a criminal?"

"The young girl! What could she have done to deserve that?"

"I don't know, but you can't be too careful. Wonder when she'll be up and about?"

"The damage was pretty bad. Maybe in a week."

"Whenever it is, we need to be kind to her. We don't want to frighten her."

"Agreed. So have you heard-." Merlin walked away before he could hear anymore gossip. What did they mean leave? Hermione wouldn't leave! She was going to teach him sign language and he would be her voice. She wouldn't leave! He was getting a bit worked up. He needed to calm down or he was going to make a laundry line catch fire again. That wasn't very fun to explain to his mother. Good think there was a torch near by, it was blamed on the wind blowing the flames to the clothes. Merlin took deep breaths and walked back to the house. It had been over an hour, surely Hermione's bandages were changed by now? He would knock just in case. It took him a while in his leisurely pace, but he finally came upon his house. Merlin knocked on the door and waited. He could hear his mother call him in and that's what he did. Hermione was lying flat on his bed and his mother was packing up the supplies. She looked at Merlin and smiled. "Ah! I thought you were out helping?" Merlin shook his head and replied, "they all said no." Hunith sighed and stood up. "Stay with Hermione while I go dump out the water and get rid of these bloody bandages. Merlin nodded and sat by Hermione, just silent. She couldn't talk, so there wasn't much else to do. She turned her head towards him and smoothed out the neckerchief she had given him. She smiled remembering her dad. She probably shouldn't have given a seven year old such an important object, but it felt right. She wouldn't use it and it looked good on him. Merlin took her hand and whispered, "you're crying again." She took her other hand and felt her cheeks. He was right, she was crying. How does she not notice? They're her tears! She chuckled and wiped them away. "Why do you keep crying?"

She could tell him. She took a deep breath and rasped, "my fa-ather." Then, she pointed to the neckerchief. Merlin worked out what she was trying to say. He took her hand and asked, "it was your father's?" She nodded and Merlin asked, "where is he?" She gave him a sad look and flashed her red eyes. "Dead" Merlin answered for her. She nodded and he asked, "your mother?" She looked at him with an even more depressed look. Merlin bowed his head and whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad." She sniffled and lifted his head with her finger. He looked into her red eyes and they radiated comfort. She shook her head and smiled. She ran her hand over his cheek. Hermione removed her hand and looked to the ceiling. They sat in silence until Hunith came back and Hermione had fallen asleep. She was absolutely exhausted. Hunith looked to Merlin and motioned for him to follow her.

Merlin obeyed and followed his mother out to the gardens. She gave him some gloves and they weeded together in silence. After and hour, Hunith sat back and sighed. Merlin continued though. Hunith cleared her throat and asked, "Merlin?" He nodded, still weeding. "Would it be alright if Hermione stayed for a while? Her injuries won't be even close to better anytime soon." Merlin stopped weeding and gave his mother the widest smile ever. His mother chuckled and then frowned. "She'll need to go back to her family sooner or later. They'll probably be worried sick about her." Merlin looked at the ground sadly and replied quietly, "she doesn't have any family. She said her mother and father are dead. She gave me her father's neckerchief." Hunith looked at her son wide-eyed. "She told you?" Merlin sat back and looked at his mother. "It hurts her to talk, but she always wants to answer me. She does sometimes and I just fill in the rest. Her eyes can tell you a lot." His mother stared at him for a while and nodded. "Well, we'll have to work on her sleeping arrangements then won't we?" Merlin nodded happily and began to babble on and on about what he was going to do with Hermione.

Hunith decided to make some more blankets and make a comfy space beside Merlin's bed. Then during the day, she would push the blankets under the bed and all would be well. Hunith knew that Merlin would want to give up his bed, but Hermione wouldn't have that. It was all very strange. Hermione was just so sweet. She held no anger or revenge for her tormentors. She was kind and patient with Merlin and was a strong willed girl. Hunith mistook Hermione for an older girl many times, but she was only fifteen!

Hunith and Merlin finished weeding and went back in. Hermione was still asleep and Hunith got to knitting. She would make Hermione's bed comfy and just as good as the other beds. Hunith couldn't wait to get to know Hermione better.


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter! Yay! Now, we're beginning the use of sign language! Before we begin the sign language, I want to say that I did no study on it before writing this, so it all just guesswork. Hermione just needs a way to communicate!**

 **Also, I just wanted to say that I love all of your reviews and I look forward to reading them! They give me great ideas so thank you!**

 **ENJOY!**

 _"Italics are signing"_

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Merlin aren't even close to being owned by me!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

It had been three weeks since Hermione turned up and she was definitely a positive influence in the lives of Merlin and Hunith. Hunith finally had a daughter she didn't know she wanted, even if Hermione was less feminine than most. She refused to go anywhere near a dress and only wore trousers, tunics and boots. She always wore a jacket though. Not to keep warm, but to hide the scars. She still wore bandages on her neck and her back would flare up in pain every once in awhile. If she was moving too much, a wound or two would open up, but that wouldn't keep Hermione from being up and about. She was always helpful and even cooked a few meals. The village thought she was just a joy to be around. Everyone knew by now that she couldn't speak, but she was a great listener. If she could, she would help many people with their problems. Hunith also learned very fast of Hermione's intelligence. Even if she couldn't voice her intelligence, she would express it in many different ways. She was alway teaching Merlin new things and he was really getting good at sign language. She was also an excellent Physician. She had cured two colds, and a sweating fever. She had fixed gashes and poisons with ease and broken bones were no problem to her. At only fifteen she had more knowledge than any physician Hunith had ever heard of. Except maybe Gaius. Hermione enjoyed midnight forest walks too as they had found out. She would come back in the morning relaxed and smiling. Hermione didn't sleep much, but she always had the energy. Her diet was better and she was getting better.

Merlin had come out of his shell. He always talked to Hermione and wasn't lonely anymore. He was really taking a liking to talking for Hermione when she couldn't express what she wanted to say. Hunith still didn't understand how making gestures with your hands could be a language, but at least it was working. Meanwhile, Hermione was still trying to find a way to express her thoughts without Merlin. She did carry a miniature notebook and a coal pencil everywhere with her. When Hunith asked where the writing tool came from, Hermione had told her that she made it. Hunith didn't know how that was possible. Hermione also had random books appear out of nowhere. Hunith would catch her reading books that came from nowhere and each time she caught Hermione reading, the girl would try to hide the book. Hunith always saw though. It was nothing to mistrust the girl over, Hunith was just curious.

A month passed and the weather was really chilly then. Hermione's wounds didn't need bandages anymore, except the one on her neck. The scars still stuck out on her pale skin, but there was no more risk of bleeding. The only thing to worry about were the wounds on her neck. They opened a couple times and every time it happened, Hermione acted as if she expected it. The wounds were deep and were going to take time to heal, but if they kept opening, they would never heal. Hermione had taken to wearing a black scarf she had gotten from her bag and always touched it with care. It most likely belonged to someone close to her. Anyways, it covered the bandages perfectly. It was September eleventh and no one had seen Hermione for the whole day. Merlin couldn't sit still he was so worried. It was becoming dark and Hermione was still nowhere to be seen. She took midnight walks, but always left a note in case they woke up and she wasn't there. She left no note this time. She just left. Merlin couldn't sit still. He threw on his heavy jacket and ran out the door before his mother could stop him. He knew she wasn't in the village, so that left the forest. It wasn't too dark yet, but still dim enough to make walking difficult. The trees created a creepy effect, but the light of the sunset lit the ground. He kept walking and shouting for Hermione. She couldn't shout back, but maybe she was lost and would walk towards his voice. He kept walking and he was getting scared. He was far away from the village and he was lost. Merlin tripped on a log and fell to the ground. He didn't get up. He lay there and cry. He felt so lost. He cried and cried.

Merlin's tears turned into whimpers and he sat against a tree huddled in a ball, trying to block out the cold. He closed his eyes and wished someone would save him. He felt two hands on his shoulders and he opened his eyes and hesitantly looked up. He was greeted with the comforting sight of glowing red eyes. He gave a sob and tackled Hermione in a hug. She hugged him tight and they stayed like that for a while. Merlin shivered and Hermione lifted him from her. She wrapped her scarf around him to add to his warmth. She gave him her jacket and she was left in a long sleeved shirt and nothing else besides her pants and boots. She only seemed to be worried for him though. Merlin felt warmth and Hermione grabbed his chin lightly to look at his ears and lips. No frostbite, good. She looked around and pointed him to stay put. He obeyed and Hermione went off again. She collected wood and came back to Merlin. She layed it in good form and looked around. Rocks? Nothing to make sparks. She looked at Merlin with a contemplative look. She could tell him. He had magic. He would understand why she kept it from him? He hadn't told her, so she wasn't going to go tell him. She raised her hands and signed words he understood. _"Understand please?"_ Merlin nodded with a confused look and Hermione got close to the wood, closed her eyes and blew on it. Flames emerged from the middle of the wood and lit. His jaw had dropped and Hermione looked away from him. Merlin put his hand over one of hers and she still didn't look at him.

Merlin didn't understand why she was afraid he would reject her. Maybe she was injured because of her magic? Maybe she was from Camelot? It was all a guess, but right now, he wanted to tell her of his magic. "You have magic?" Merlin waited for her to respond and she nodded. "I knew you had some kind of magic. Or else your eyes wouldn't change color the way they do." She glanced at him with her red eyes and smiled. She hadn't thought of that. Merlin came closer to her and whispered, "I have magic too." She tried to look shocked, but it didn't work. Merlin gave her a look and she blushed. She scooted up next to him and motioned to the fire. She held up her hand and twisted it in a complicated motion. The flames rose and one of them detached from the rest. She moved her hands in an elegant swish and the flames formed a dragon. It flew around the flames and Merlin looked at it with wide-eyes. She made another motion and the dragon turned to glass. She grabbed it before it could drop in the fire and blew on it with a breath of chill. The glass was now clear and Hermione held it out. It was stunning.

Large wings were spread out from the beast and almost every scale was visible in detail. It's mouth was open and sharp teeth could be seen. It's eyes were carved in perfection and spines ran down its back. She thought for a moment and then sat in front of Merlin. She got an excited look and kissed the dragon's head. Nothing happened at first, but it began to move! Merlin was completely amazed as the dragon began to move and fly around like it weighed nothing. It eventually landed on Merlin's shoulder and nudged his head. Merlin brought a hand up and pet the still glass dragon. The dragon wiggled like a dog and jumped around. Hermione silently laughed and Merlin did laugh. He took the dragon and handed it back to Hermione. She took the escaping dragon and kissed its head again and it went still. She handed it back to Merlin and he looked at it in wonder. "Your giving it to me?" Hermione nodded and smiled softly. He set it down carefully and jumped on Hermione and they landed on the ground with a 'humph!' He hugged her tight and repeated over and over again "thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Hermione laughed jerkily and hugged him tighter. He whispered into her neck, "you're the best sister ever." Hermione froze and so did Merlin. He didn't mean to say that. Merlin lifted his head and looked into her red eyes. She whispered painfully, "sister?" Merlin nodded hesitantly and Hermione smiled widely. She kissed his forehead and hugged him again. Merlin laughed and whispered to himself, "I have a sister." Hermione nodded and removed Merlin from her person. He laid next to her and they stared at the starry sky through the leafless trees. It was relaxing he looked over to her and asked, "is this what you do when you go for your walks?" Hermione nodded and held out her hands for him to see and signed _"and_ _practice."_ He thought for a moment. "Practice magic?" She nodded and he looked at her. "Can I practice too?" She shook her head and sign back, _"my magic is different."_ He nodded sadly and pouted. Hermione chuckled and summoned the glass dragon. He was still a little boy. What would he do with a glass dragon? She thought for a moment and turned it into a knitted stuffed dragon. She put it in front of him and he gasped. "I love it!" She whispered to him, "keeps the n-night-m-mares aw-ay." He looked at her with all the love in the world and kissed her cheek. He turned his back to her in embarrassment and she chuckled silently. She slid her arm around him and cuddled him close to her. He snuggled up to her and there they slept under the stars.

Hunith was beside herself with worry. She hoped Hermione found Merlin. Oh, her little boy better not be lost. It was almost the afternoon when a knock was heard on the door. Hunith rushed to it and swung it open. There stood Hermione and Merlin with sheepish smiles on their faces. They both had leaves and twigs stuck in their hair. Hermione more than Merlin due to her curly mess of hair. Merlin was holding something in his arms and he had a large smile on his face. Hunith quickly hugged Hermione who hugged Hunith back and Hunith moved to Merlin. She gave him a big hug and then glared at him. "You ran off into the forest! At night! You knew Hermione could care for herself, but you can't young man! Come inside both of you!" Merlin hid behind Hermione who shook her head in amusement. Merlin scooted in and Hunith closed the door behind her and stood in front of the two. Her arms were crossed and a no nonsense face was in place. "What were you doing in the forest so late Hermione? No note?" Hermione tapped Merlin's shoulder and she watched as Hermione signed to Merlin. He replied, "she was doing something for me." Hunith gave Hermione a confused look and Hermione pointed to the thing Merlin was holding. Merlin held it up and Hunith gasped. A stuffed dragon! It was so beautifully knitted! Hunith soon forgot her anger and hugged Hermione again. "Thank you dear." Hermione smiled and took off her jacket as well as Merlin's. She didn't remove her scarf though, which only meant one thing. Hunith sighed and got out the bandages. Hermione hated Merlin seeing her hurt. Merlin saw the bandages and knew he wasn't supposed to be there. Hermione had once told him that she hated him seeing her in pain. Merlin told her that he didn't like seeing her in pain, but if she ever needed him, then never hesitate to ask.

Merlin stayed put and sat on his bed with his stuffed dragon. He would stay this time. He didn't take joy in it or anything. He just wanted Hermione to know that he was there for her whenever she needed. Hermione eyed him with emotions between pride and disappointment. Neither went well together. Hermione looked at the ceiling as she removed the black scarf delicately and set it aside. Merlin watched the scarf that was blood stained, clean instantly and she winked at him. She's been doing magic all that time! He just never noticed! His eyes caught the blood filled bandage and he paled a bit. Hunith unwrapped the old bandage and revealed the wound, it was ghastly. It was open and oozing blood. All four gashes were wide open and bleeding. Merlin's face paled dramatically, but Hermione didn't see, her eyes were shut tight. Hunith grabbed a bowl and a basin of water with a rag and began to clean the wound. Tears came from Hermione's eyes and she gripped the bedding. She let loose as close to a scream as she's ever gotten. It hurt so much. Merlin got over his shock and ran to his sister's side. He took her hand and said in a calming whisper, "take my hand. You can squeeze it if you want. It'll make you feel better." She didn't hesitate in grabbing his hand and holding it tight. She tried her hardest not to crush the little boy's hand. She was breathing hard and tears streamed down her face. Hunith had begun to see up the wound again and Hermione bit her lip so hard that it began to bleed. Merlin sat on the bed beside Hermione and hesitantly reached up a hand to her head. He stroked her hair and the tension in her shoulders decreased. Her breaths were more controlled she still didn't open her eyes.

Merlin could feel something happening. Energy, power, whatever it was moved through her. Merlin looked at his mother's stitching and saw that ever so slightly, her skin was mending beneath the stitches. He didn't cease his stroking and Hermione still clutched his hand. His presence was helping her heal? What was it? It was an hour when everything was finished and Hermione was about ready to pass out. Everything was wrapped and clean and Hermione laid back on the bed, still clutching Merlin's hand. Merlin looked at his mother and Hunith looked down at Hermione sadly. He asked his mother quietly, "will she get better?" Hunith shook her head and answered, "she won't if the wounds keep opening. We'll give it a while and if it's not better, we'll take her to a Physician." Merlin nodded sadly and whispered in Hermione's ear, "get better please." Her hand had loosened around his and he removed it. He walked over to the door and followed his mother to the river where she washed out the bloody bowl and basin. She was probably doing laundry at the moment, so he would go and keep her company.

He walked over to the river and found his mother there, crying. He ran up to his mother and hugged her. "Please don't cry mum." Hunith sniffled and hugged her son. "Mum, why are you crying?" Hunith let him go and turned back to washing the bowl. "She's just in so much pain. A sweet girl like that doesn't deserve any of it!" Merlin nodded and sat down by his mother. "She made the boys stop pushing me around." Hunith looked at Merlin and asked, "how did she manage that?"

"She threatened to teach them how to hunt."

"How would that make them stop?"

"She said she was going to teach them how to hunt by throwing them in the forest in the middle of the night with an angry wild boar."

Hunith chuckled at the threat and remember her using something similar once. "She did that for you?"

"Yeah and then she healed my scraped knee."

"That was kind of her."

"She told me that kids used to pick on her when she was my age."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They called her ugly and always picked on her for being smart. I think they were just jealous of her."

"I believe you're right, Merlin."

"She said that everyone she loved was dead and she was glad that she had us. She hadn't been happy in a while."

"I'm glad we have her too. She's made me happy. Has she made you happy?"

Merlin looked at his mother with wide-eyes and answered with complete confidence, "extremely happy. She helps me, teaches me, makes me feel better and understands me." Hunith looked back to the river and scrubbed the bowl once more. Hermione was really helping her sons confidence. He took a deep breath and said to his mother quietly, "I adopted her last night." Hunith almost dropped her bowl in the river and she looked at Merlin wide-eyed. "What?" Merlin looked at the ground and played with a blade of grass. "I adopted her as my sister. You should have seen how happy she was. Her smile lit up the whole forest!" Merlin eyed his mother and thought she'd be mad. She wasn't mad though. She was so happy, so extremely ecstatic. "Well then, it looks like I have a daughter."


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, Elizabeth (guest), had a great idea for a Animagus form for Hermione, but it pains me to say that I chose another form. I have a view for Hermione based on the animal I chose. I still hope you continue reading and aren't too disappointed!**

 **ENJOY!**

 _"Italics are signing"_

 **Disclaimer: obviously, Harry Potter and Merlin are not mine to command!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Merlin was turning eleven years old and what a happy day it was for his family. They loved celebrating his birthday, especially Hermione. She loved giving him gifts. She tried to make each year special for him. His mother would make him his favorite dinner and make him a desert. Hermione would disappear the whole day and come back with an amazing gift. His mother had officially adopted Hermione when Merlin turned nine. She was officially his sister and was enjoying every part of it. Merlin was an expert in sign language and reading Hermione's emotions. She couldn't yell at him, so she would use physical force. She was strong for such a small girl. Hunith was fine with any punishment Hermione dished out, less work for Hunith. Hermione's favorite way to make sure he knew he was in trouble was pulling his large ears. It was amusing to everyone besides Merlin, who's ears would ache for a week. Her throat had stopped bleeding after three years and she was ecstatic. She still wore a scarf over the scars and was an expert at wearing long sleeves in the blazing summer. She also wore leather fingerless gloves on her hands because of the carved words in both. The gloves made her face slaps a lot more painful. The one scar she couldn't hide was the one on her face. Right above her eyebrow and reaching her cheek. It was pale now and silvery, but still there. She never cared for her looks and she didn't care that she had any scars, but she hated questions. She already got enough stares for her choice in clothing, she didn't need little children asking her why she looked like a cat's scratching post. Speaking of scratching posts and cats, she tested a theory she had with her bag. She was bored one day and decided to try and pull Crookshanks from her bag. She was so sure it wouldn't work, but out came her fuzzy orange half-kneazle. She cried so much and her half-kneazle was so happy to see her. The feline wouldn't leave Hermione's arms for a week and she felt just the same. She kept the cat close like he would disappear from her. Merlin was downright excited at having a cat. Hunith wasn't as happy, but saw how happy he made Hermione. Plus, Hunith had never seen a smarter cat. Crookshanks came to Hermione without a word from her and Hunith was stumped on how that was possible.

Hermione knew that Crooks was her familiar. The cat was connected to her, mind, heart, and soul. The cat knew when he was needed and didn't ignore. Even when Hermione didn't need him, he was there just for support. The villagers called him The Ugly Orange Devil, but they knew not to hurt Hermione's precious pet. Once, a farmer tried to skewer him with a pitchfork and the cat tore the man up and to make it worse, Hermione refused to treat the man and made Merlin tell the man that if he liked to skewer cats then he could very well get infected by cat scratches and she wouldn't care.

Merlin enjoyed playing with Crooks and the old cat enjoyed playing with Merlin. They hunted mice together and scared kids and chased eachother around. Crookshanks slept in Hermione's bed and never left her until she awoke. It was all very sweet and everyone was convinced the cat would refuse to die until Hermione met her end. Hermione was sure of that too.

For Merlin's eleventh birthday, she was taking him to a secret place she found. She marked the path with symbols on the trees that only Merlin and her could see. She didn't want anyone snooping. She also set wards around the entire place to ward off everyone that wasn't Hermione or Merlin...animals weren't included in the wards. She found it while testing out her Animagus form. It was neat actually. Learning to be an Animagus without books or a teacher. She sat for a year of midnights, just connecting with her magic. When she finally found her connection, she found the elements that made her, Hermione and let an animal come to her. She would be what her spirit animal was. Her Patronus hadn't changed. It was still a swimming otter which was a relief to her. Something was the same. She had spent weeks trying to find her animal when she realized that she was looking for the wrong animal! She searched on the magic side of creatures and was close to becoming a Gryffin, but it was pushed away by a stubborn animal that wouldn't reveal itself to her. Then one day, she got so frustrated that she shot a blast of magic and a growl was released from her throat that she didn't know she was capable of.

Time froze and at the stroke of midnight on the eclipse, her animal came to her. When she saw it, she was amazed. The Black Shuck. It was an animal she read about in her original time that even the magic world was positive it didn't exist. The animal stood in front of her, tall and proud. Red eyes judging her. It phased in and out of shadows and even made a bite attempt on her. She only found the animals respect when she growled and fought for her right to be The Black Shuck. This was her animal. Strong, magical, protective and fierce. She wasn't real, just a ghost in this time, just like the Shuck was a ghost to existence. She was dark, she was haunted, she was the Black Shuck! Only then, did the animal bow to her and accept that she was ready to be the animal. She walked out of her trance as the large, black, ghost dog with red eyes that judged those for death. She was a magical creature that could not die because she didn't exist. She embraced it. When she transformed back, her senses were enhanced and she could see, hear, smell, and sense anything. Her voice was still taken from her and none of her scars healed, but she now had the ability to somehow...growl. It seemed that she had grown another set of vocal cords, but those were only used for her animal. It was sad, but she was used to not being able to speak. It gave her a reason to hit people!

She had tested out her new form by finding a special place for Merlin. His eleventh birthday held a special place in her heart. It was the age that her life had changed forever. It was the age that she found out she was a witch and entered a world of magical danger. She just wanted something special to happen to Merlin too, in the wonderful age of eleven. She ended up finding a cave that lead to a perfectly circular stone room. She checked it for traps and made sure that all it was, was a very strange rock formation, she did find that it was made by magic. So, she checked for curses, vaults, hidden messages, anything dangerous and found nothing. All she found was an ancient leftover magical signature. So, she began to make it magical. She pushed back a part of the wall and made a fireplace. She charmed it to be smokeless and put a bookshelf above it. She would let him decorate it. She made the floors smooth stone and created a large circle rug. It was green for the moment, but he could change it if he wanted. She decided that the ceiling was high enough to charm it like the great hall at Hogwarts. After she had finished the complicated charm, it shone a bright sunny day. She made a large desk by the entrance and made it regular wooden. She added a chair, fancily carved by hand. She loved carving. It was an art that reminded her of Wandlore.

She also put in a large bookshelf that curved with the wall. She made a little place for crooks to relax and then put two squishy armchairs in front of the fireplace, along with another carved piece, a circle side table. She added heating and cooling charms just to make it comfy. Then, she decided to push in another part of the wall and make a place for sleeping bags, pillows, and extra blankets. Just in case of an emergency. Speaking of that, she made the whole place also accessible to Hunith if she ever needed shelter. She made sure to stock up plenty of candles and for a final for the final touch, large wooden doors!

The doorway was a half circle and she fit double doors. She made sure they had a lock and she sat down for two days and carved intricate designs. She didn't make them girly or frilly, just lines, leaves, dragons, Knights, and a castle. It took her a week to charm it all to magically move. Just like the portraits in her time. She did that to the inside of the doors. The images stopped moving and even disappeared with the password: Hogwarts. No one would guess it. She would tell Merlin obviously and Hunith. On the outside, through the walkway to the big doors, was how she would make sure that no one ever found it. She couldn't resist. It was something she'd always wanted to do. She traveled to the outside of the cave and made the stone around the entrance black. She made another set of wood doors, but this time, a clear message was carved in them. The Gringotts Entrance Poem! She laughed the whole time as she magically wrote the words in gold.

 _Enter, stranger, but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there._

She pulled out some of the rocks and made it all shadowy and creepy. She snorted at the fact that she was purposely making everything creepy. The treasure and greed part would want to make anyone enter! Not with the boggart she had found! There were boggart in this era! She did some advanced runes and took a drop of her blood and made it so the boggart would never show its face to her. She collected some of Merlin's blood when he stabbed himself on a loose piece of glass again. She really needed to pick that up. She dropped his blood on the runes and now Merlin was protected from it. She would just ask Hunith for her blood.

Hermione had told Hunith of her magical abilities when the woman caught her crying in the woods and her magic attacking everything in sight. Once Hunith stepped into her circle of magic, she was snapped out of her depressed state. She looked at Hunith with such a helpless look, and the woman's motherly instincts kicks in. She held Hermione as she struggled to manage a normal cry. Hermione was just so frustrated with not getting anywhere in her Animagus transformation and memories attacked her in her nightmares and it was all getting to her. She felt stuck and helpless and she hated it. Hunith comforted her until she was too exhausted to continue. In her delirious state of exhaustion, she snuggled up in Hunith's arms and whispered with searing pain, "I lo-ove you, mu-um." She fell asleep in the shocked woman's arms and Hunith cried tears of joy. She didn't think she would find such joy in having another child. Merlin found them like that. He had felt the surges of now what he knew to be magic and followed it. He stumbled upon his mother smiling and crying while holding his sleeping sister. He joined his mother and in his nine year old mind, he couldn't figure out why his mother was so happy. He asked her and she smiled with a teary face, "she called me mum. Said she loved me." Merlin understood. Now Hunith knew of Hermione's magic, there was nothing to stop the family of three from coming closer.

After that moment, Hermione had still called Hunith, mum and she was working on a blood ritual to make Hermione and Merlin blood siblings. They would be actual blood relatives, the problem was making sure that their magic didn't mix. Her magic was evolved and different from magic in the medieval days. If their magic mixed, both would certainly die and she couldn't kill _the_ Merlin. So, she was still studying it. She had found her satchel to have unlimited access to any book she wished. Books were her most prized possession, so it was obvious that that was what she would have the most access to. Knowledge was everything to her. So, maybe a volume on blood rituals from the Black family library? Yes. Later though!

With the blood of Hunith, Merlin and Hermione, they were all allowed to walk in the cave with no trouble. She also made sure Crookshanks could get in somehow. He was a smart cat, he would figure it out. The only way to let other people in was for Hermione to gather a drop of their blood and Hermione give them a temporary pass in the form of a braclet with protective runes carved in them. She made four guest passes, bracelets. She could only make one every month. Everything she was doing took a lot of magic and she needed to rest once in awhile. She had set up the security of boggarts that would be released if someone tried to force their way in. The boggarts would go back to their holding places once the person had run off or died of fear. She decided to enhance the creepy yet enchanting place. The last thing that she wanted to do, made it so that she couldn't use magic for two months and slept a whole week. She enhanced the forest trees. She made the grass grow dark green and the surrounding trees twenty yards out turn to dark wood oak trees with larger tops and darker leaves. The wards reached to the end of the trees and made a perfect circle in the middle of the forest. She released pixie lights to float around and even put a little pond to the side in front of the cave. She decided to add spirit fish in the pond, which were extremely hard to find. All she had to do was make a small portal into the spirit world and summon some elegant fish. That was what took most of her energy.

It looked like a fancy hovel, but it was so much more. She began the construction on Merlin's tenth birthday and finished the day of his eleventh birthday. She checked everything out, made sure it was all perfect and ready for her boy. She really should have saved the big surprise for when he was older, but at a younger age, everything still held wonder. Also, she had been planning everything for a while. The sun was rising and she decided everything was good to go. How excited she was! She transformed into her Animagus and sped through the forest, disappearing in and out of shadows and not making a single sound or footprint.

She reached the house before anyone was awake and quietly stepped in the house. She tiptoed to her bed on the ground and laid down next to a sleeping Crookshanks. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. She only got to sleep for half an hour before Hunith awoke and began cooking breakfast. Hermione decided to wake up and feed Crooks. She couldn't sleep anyways, she was too excited. She wanted to take him there in time for the stars to Come out. It will be the perfect time to visit his special place. She was bouncing everywhere while getting Crooks settled. She poured him some milk in his special dish. He wouldn't drink out of anything else. She put it back in the cool box she created for Hunith. She gave her mother a kiss on her cheek and sat at the table with a large smile. Her red eyes wouldn't stop flashing bright and she could care less. Hunith chuckled and whispered, "Hermione dear! Why on earth are you so excited? It's not even your birthday." Hermione nodded and signed excitedly, _"turning eleven was so special for me. My whole world changed and I went to a magical place that changed me forever. I want Merlin to have the same experience, but since there's no large castle for him to go to school in, I have something just for him!"_ Hunith wasn't extremely good at sign language, but she caught most of what Hermione was trying to communicate. That was why she paused and asked, "going to school in a large castle?" Hermione paused and swore under her breath. Hermione took on a saddened look and was actually depressed when she told her story.

 _"Oh, well, I was invited to a castle at eleven and it was the school for sorcerers. I was only there for two years until it was taken over and everyone was slaughtered. I was captured and put into...slavery. I was there for three years, but I escaped and went to my parents house. The whole village was burnt. I ran and ran and somehow found myself in the forest after being attacked and tortured by bandits. Old wounds opened and well...you know the rest."_ Hunith caught most of what she said and tears fell from the older woman's eyes. Hermione got up and hugged her mother. She whispered in her ear, "I'm fi-ine now." It still hurt immensely to talk, but she did talk when she wanted to convey an emotional wording that you couldn't sign to understand the importance. Hunith nodded and went back to cooking Hermione felt bad for making Hunith cry, but the woman would be bawling if she heard the real story. Hermione sat back down and Crookshanks hopped on her lap, sensing her distress. She smiled at the cat and scratched behind his ears. She then got a nice idea and pointed to Merlin.

The cat got a mischievous glint in its eyes and she nodded. Crookshanks jumped from her lap and sauntered over to the still snoozing boy and jumped on the bed. The cat then bit the boy's ear and jumped off of the bed fast and Merlin shouted in pain and fell out of bed. Hermione cracked up laughing. Well, a sort of laugh. Merlin grumbled and glared at the cat that had took refuge on Hermione's lap once more. He stopped glaring when he saw Hermione laugh and he smiled at her. She motioned him over and shooed Crookshanks away. She looked at his ear and did a quick healing spell with it. He smiled gratefully and Hermione set her face in determination. She took his hands and looked into his shining blue eyes and said evenly, "Happy...Birthday." Merlin beamed and hugged Hermione tight. "You said it perfectly Hermione!" She hugged him back and then ushered him over to his seat. She sat him down and a bowl of cinnamon porridge was set in front of him. His eyes widened and Hermione conjured a spoon. She whispered to him in an even voice once more, "eat up...birthday...boy." He smiled at her again and dug in.

Merlin was so happy. Even with the rude awakening, he saw Hermione laugh her full laugh, choppy and painful, but joyful. That was birthday gift enough. He was surprised even further when Hermione spoke a full sentence without chopping up the big words. She did it just for him. He had heard her practicing one day and was proud of his sister. He dug into his favorite breakfast and felt as if nothing could bring him down from his happy state. Merlin are his breakfast and decided he wanted to sit with Hermione by the stream. It was hidden enough for her to do tiny magic tricks which he loved seeing! She explained that her magic was different from his. His magic came from the earth and was a raw powerful form straight from the ancient life of magic. That didn't make his magic more powerful than Hermione's. It just meant that he didn't have a wide range of things he could do without spells and practice. Hermione's magic came from everything around her. She and Merlin could sense magic in the air and how it feels. That's what she can do all the time because of what she said was 'evolved magic.' He didn't really care though. He enjoyed seeing the way her eyes lit up when she did a spell or give him a gift crafted by her magic. It made her happy. Merlin was convinced that if her magic left her, she wouldn't have the strength to continue on in life. Losing magic was impossible though, so no worries there.

Merlin cleared his throat and asked his sister, "can we sit by the stream today?" She looked to be calculating something before nodding and getting up from her seat. She signed over to him, _"let me do a load of laundry first."_ Merlin nodded excitedly and decided to walk around the village until Hermione was done. He gave his mother a hug and pulled on his neckerchief before leaving. It was still too big for him, but he wore it still. It was special to Hermione and she enjoyed seeing him wear it. Everyone was out and about, doing their daily duties. Merlin didn't understand how people could do the same chores over and over again without getting bored. He was glad he had Hermione. She made most days an adventure. Taking him in the forest to play hide and seek, making him little crafts, teaching him things about magic and just being there. His only issue was his magic. He loved having magic, but his was becoming bothersome. It flashed out at random moments and people were beginning to notice something wasn't quite right with Merlin. Merlin felt like an outsider in his own village. People didn't talk to him anymore. He didn't know why, but they just stared at him weirdly. Like he had done something wrong, but he didn't know what. Yes, people still loved Hermione and thought she was an absolute angel, but they were getting tired of trying to figure out what she was trying to say when Merlin wasn't around. Hermione was just sick of the looks of pity. She had been apart of Ealdor for four years! They could stop treating her as if she were going to go off and murder them.

Merlin wandered around for an hour until he went back home and found Hermione getting ready to go to the stream. It was the summer months and he was sweating from just his walk around Ealdor. Despite that fact, Hermione wore a red long sleeve shirt, black trousers and no shoes. She hated shoes for some reason, but his mother usually wrestled her into some. The only compromise was Hermione could go barefoot to the stream. She wore her usual black scarf and black gloves. In the summer, she traded the leather for light fabric, but they were always fingerless. It helped her magic flow. She put the top part of her curly hair up and let the rest flow down until it reached mid back. She wrapped her scarf around her badly scarred neck and looked at Merlin in excitement. She grabbed her satchel and they headed to the stream, Crookshanks hot on their heals. Crooks loved tormenting the little fish in the stream, it was extremely amusing. The stream was only a short walk away since they lived in the outer part of the village. They walked silently and Hermione couldn't stop bouncing! She was so excited for his surprise that night. The two reached the stream and Merlin sat on the edge, pulled off his shoes and stuck them in the cool, clear water of the stream. Hermione tapped his shoulder and he looked to her signing, _"get your feet out of the water. You'll kill the fish with all the stink."_ He narrowed his eyes at her and splashed water at her face.

She spluttered and splashed some in his. That's how the water fight began! It lasted for a full ten minutes until Hermione slipped and fell in the water with a splash. She sat up and spit water from her mouth. Merlin stood and laughed at her. Crookshanks was sunbathing on a rock and looked on at his mistress in amusement. Hermione glared at the cat, but he just yawned and looked away. She got a mischievous glint in her eyes and used a subtle spell that made Merlin slip. They were both soaking wet and laughing and it was just joyous. Hermione got up and motioned Merlin over. Hermione sat on the grass by the water and Merlin plopped down next to her. "Do some magic?" Hermione nodded and signed, _"what would you like to see?"_ Merlin thought for a moment and then got a smile. "A glass statue this time. Not a stuffy." Hermione nodded and tried to think of an animal besides a dragon. She got an idea and swirled the water slowly. Faster and faster, higher and higher, until a blob of water separated from the stream and floated above them. Crookshanks tried to paw at the bubble, but Hermione moved it away from the cat. She decided to shape the water into a Gryphon. She made the perfect shape and froze it. Then the tricky part. She quickly blew an ice breath and the Gryphon was ice. She brought the ice to the ground and looked at Merlin who was watching everything very closely. She smiled and did the quick transition. Small sand grains and then she did a quick fire breath, which Merlin always loved, and the figure turned beautiful crystal glass. She cooled it down with a final chill breath and held it out to him. It was a stoic creature with a strong stance and haughty attitude. It was protective over its own and a beautiful creature for Merlin. He took it carefully and whispered, "wow." Hermione snatched it back and he looked heartbroken. That is, until she kissed it and granted the glass figure life. The Gryphon opened his wings and took flight. It danced in the air and Merlin laughed happily. She let him run around with the glass animal until it was the afternoon. Crookshanks was lounging on Hermione's lap, getting some loving. She decided it was time to go and she removed the cat from her lap and he meowed, annoyed at being moved. She just smiled at the cat and walked over to a playing Merlin. Hermione snatched the excited Gryphon from the air and kissed it back to stillness. She handed it back to a tired, but happy Merlin and signed, _"we need to go back. Mum made you favorite lunch."_ Merlin quickly hopped away and Hermione had to rush putting on her bag and rushing after her hyper little brother, Crooks following at his normal pace. Merlin really had an infinite amount of energy. They went through the rest of the day doing chores together and always ending up dirty somehow.

The sun was going down and Hermione could finally show Merlin her surprise. She decided to take Hunith too because she would need to know where it was. She clapped to get the two's attention. Hermione signed in rapid movements, _"get warm_

 _And ready to move. I have a surprise for Merlin and you, mum, need to come too. We'll be gone till the morning, so pack cloths. Meet me at the edge of the forest!"_ Hermione exited the house and Hunith didn't catch a word of it it was so fast. "Merlin dear, what on earth did she say?" Merlin was bouncing excitedly and answered, "she has a surprise for me and wants you to come. We need to pack clothes because we'll be gone until morning and we are to meet her at the edge of the forest!" Merlin quickly packed a bag and Hunith packed one just as quickly. The two were excited to see what Hermione had in store.

They reached the edge of the forest where Hermione was waiting. She motioned for them to watch and she conjured three bluebell flames that would light the way. Hunith hadn't seen much of Hermione's magic, but it was absolutely beautiful. Hunith didn't know how such an intricate and artistic practice could ever be abused or outlawed. It was though.

Hermione led them through the forest and stopped at a tree. She made sure Hunith and Merlin were looking and a symbol appeared on the tree. She signed, _"these lead the path. Only we can see it so no one follows."_ They nodded and they continued on. They walked for a while and soon reached the part of the woods that were different, darker, yet more magical. No leaves or twigs littered the lush green grass and the trees stood tall on their dark bark. She gave them a moment to gape and then extinguished the bluebell flames. They started to protest until they saw the magical pixie lights: they were all shimmering silver. Like stars floating through the air. Hermione smiled in pride as they stepped in the little forest. Hermione looked to them and signed, _"shoes off. The grass is soft."_ Merlin almost threw his shoes off while Hunith did so hesitantly. She was surprised to find the grass softer than cotton. Like walking on water it felt like. Hermione took their shoes and vanished them to the cave. She did the same with their bags after a thought. They only had to walk a few more feet to get to the clearing with the cave entrance. Merlin and Hunith gasped in awe of the beautiful scene.

Merlin felt like crying of happiness. He ran over to the little pond on the side and looked into the clear and twinkling pool. There, he saw elegant fish swimming under the water. The fish were white and seemed to be glowing like the lights that floated around. Hermione knelt beside him and whispered, "spirit fish." He looked in awe and then Hermione led him to the door. She pointed to the golden message and he looked nervous. She signed to him quickly, _"I put wards around the forest, but if anyone reaches this point will read the warning. If they still try to force themselves in, they'll be attacked by a creature that makes you live your worst fears. The creature cannot be killed either."_ Merlin shivered. Hermione could be scary sometimes. He thought it was clever, just a bit scary. Hermione lead them to the door and pried it open. It was a heavy wooden door...Hence the word heavy. She would need to put a feather light charm on it so Merlin could actually open it.

She lead them into the cave and grabbed the torch and lit it with fire breath. Merlin smiled and said, "you really look like a dragon when you do that." Hermione chuckled silently and lead them forward. She made sure the ground was soft enough for their bare feet and lead the way. She made sure to help Hunith, who just seemed amazed by everything. "So, is this why you slept a whole week?" Hermione shook her head and replied, _"only the forest and the fish in the pond. I regrew the trees and grass and made the natural pond. That was changing nature and that takes a while. I took the fish from the spirit world, which is no easy task."_ Hunith nodded. The one thing Hunith couldn't believe was that Hermione cared for Merlin so much as to do all of this for him. She regrew nature and went grabbed spirits from the spirit world for him! It was heartwarming and absolutely sweet. The three reached the wooden door and Hermione placed the torch in the holder and blew it out. They were covered in complete darkness and Hermione lit a bluebell flame. She made it bright for Merlin to see her sign, _"you name the place and I'll write it above."_ Merlin nodded and Hermione let them in. She extinguished the bluebell flame and they entered the room. They couldn't see anything yet, but Hermione slowly let her magic flow into the ceiling and the stars from outside began to become visible. Two gasps were heard and Merlin was at a loss for words. She let them gaze before lighting the fireplace with a snap and then every candle around the room blazed to life. The room was lit and Hermione swore Merlin started crying. He looked around, everywhere was stunning. Merlin explored every nook and cranny, Hunith did as well. She was so amazed by the magic. Crookshanks was laying on the cat bed she made him and the old cat was really enjoying the space. Merlin looked at the floor and laughed. "Green?" She smiled and signed, _"pick a color?"_ Merlin shook his head and replied, "I like the green. It feels like laying on the grass and gazing at the stars." Hermione smiled and ushered Merlin over to the door. She whispered the password, "Hogwarts" and the portrait she spent two days carving appeared. The knights and dragons and castle all came to life.

Merlin did have tears leaking from his eyes as he gently touched it, "it's magnificent Hermione. You and your carving." Hermione chuckled and she led him over to look at more details. After an hour of explaining everything she did, Hermione received many hugs and many thanks. Hermione took out the sleeping bags and laid them in the middle of the room. Crooks decided he wanted to be closer to everyone, so he went over to Hermione and plopped down and curled up to her stomach. When they were all settled in, Merlin got an idea and went to his bag. Hermione looked at him questionably and he just ignore her. He took out a wrapped object and Hermione watched him go over to the mantle place and unwrap the object. On the mantle place now held a glass Gryphon. Hermione smiled and whispered, "looks good." Merlin smiled and went back over to Hermione. He slid his sleeping bag closer and snuggled up. "You're the best sister ever" Merlin whispered to her. She smiled and said, "and you... are the be-est...bro-other." Merlin smiled. He could tell she was frustrated at not being able to speak, but she tried. She would talk a lot more if it didn't hurt so much and he knew that. She explained to him that she was trying to find a way to temporarily fix the problem so he wouldn't have to translate for her. She told him one day he would leave her for his own life and she would need to communicate by herself. Merlin didn't ever want to think about leaving her. He knew he would never leave her completely and that was his promise to her.


	5. Chapter 5

****Yes! I had a lot of fun writing the last chapter! I know making her an Animagus seems unnecessary**** ** _ **now**_** ** **, but it will be useful later on. Also, I guess I should explain the age thing. Time travel is a tricky thing and Hermione's age was effected. I want her to not be too much older than Merlin, but still old enough for him to feel close to her as a younger brother. If I made her, her original age in her twenties, I would end up making her more of a mother figure and I can't replace Hunith! The ages fit their statuses in each other's lives. I hope that cleared things up! Anywho...ENJOY!****

 _"Italics are signing"_

 **Disclaimer: Me no own Harry Potter or Merlin... Got it? Good.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Years passed and Merlin was fifteen. He had become tall and was finally fitting into the neckerchief. Hermione was supposed to be around the age of twenty three, but she didn't look anywhere close to that age! Hermione guessed that the magic that was used to send her here really screwed up her aging process. She wasn't too worried though. She had been too busy working on a way to make herself and Merlin blood relatives. She wanted to make things official. So she wouldn't be his adopted sister, just his sister. She hadn't told Merlin about it, but she liked to think he'd be excited.

The hard part was finding a way to do the ritual so their magic wouldn't mix. The problem was that she was looking at it all the wrong way. Of course their magic would mix! She just needed to find two similar elements of magic that they shared. She searched book after book and could only come up with one conclusion...both of them had ancient magic inside of them! Hermione spent months thinking about it and reaching out to her magic. In the deep dark corner of her magical core was an unopened box and in that box held ancient magic. Every wizard and witch in her era had it most likely! No one wanted to look for it though. Hermione believed that that was how Dumbledore became to be so powerful...he found the box and opened it. So, when she did the ritual, she would need to open the box and have only the ancient magics mix. Hermione had guessed that it would put her and Merlin in equal power, but hers would still be different. Her magic would still be the evolved form, it would just be mixed with older magic. She didn't know how that would affect her, but she was willing to take the risk. She had researched and researched and found that the ritual would _not_ heal her voice. She had given up hope on that. It was so frustrating when she had a snarky comment and couldn't communicate it. She hated that she couldn't hold long conversations or go on rants about the effects of dragon blood in a potion. It made her so angry and frustrated, but she dealt. She had to remember that she got away lucky. She could breathe, see, hear and had all appendages...'it could be worse' she reminded herself.

Hermione took her thoughts away from the depressing thoughts and got ready for the ritual. She got the ancient tome from Dumbledore's office. She was still amazed that she could get all the books she ever needed. The bookshelf in the cave that Merlin had yet to name, was now full of Hermione's magical books. Merlin read them when he wanted, but he never tried anything in them. He once tried a spell and ended up turning his hair blue. The worst part was, Hermione couldn't fix it. He pouted for a month until it finally turned back. He promised to never try _'Hermione's magic_ ' ever again.

Hermione needed a blade made of goblin silver and a handle of jewels containing the tears of lost men. It was a dagger easy to enchant, but could be used for nasty purposes. When she looked at the description in the book, she had dropped it. She couldn't move, couldn't think or do anything really. She felt pain prickle up her arm and she was bombarded with memories. She couldn't exit the flashbacks. She was reliving her worst nightmare and couldn't run away. She screamed and clawed at her skin so much that it bled. Crookshanks was the one to go fetch Merlin to help his suffering owner. Crooks really hated seeing her in pain. She was found that way by Merlin and she was crying in pain and screaming. She didn't even notice the pain of screaming because everything else was on fire. Her wrists and neck were bloody from her scratching and Merlin wasted no time in rushing over to her. He grabbed her hands and pulled them away from her so she couldn't harm herself. She screamed profanities and begged for mercy. Her eyes were wide open, but completely unseeing. He did all he could think of and pulled her to his chest and held her until she stopped struggling. She kept croaking over and over again, "it hurts. Stop. Please stop. It hurts." He held her to him until she passed out. He set her on the floor under the stars and he cuddled her close to him. The half-kneazle curled up close to his owner and licked her face once, just to tell her he was there and watching. She always made Merlin feel better. It was his turn.

She woke the next morning, clutched in Merlin's arms and a cat by her neck with her throat killing her. She looked into Merlin's worried eyes and began to cry. She didn't want him to see her like that. She went insane over a _picture_ of the dagger. It wasn't just any dagger though. It was the one that caused her so much pain. She was labeled with slander with that dagger. She was carved like a piece of wood with that dagger. Her voice was stolen with that dagger. If she couldn't handle even seeing her torture, how was she going to cut her skin with it? Why of all people did Bellatrix have to own it?

Merlin held her as she cried and comforted her the best she could. Crookshanks was the one to eventually calm her down by placing both paws on her head and tried to cuddle her the best he could. Hermione chuckled and stroked the fur of her loyal companion. She wanted to apologize. She wanted to talk. She croaked and tried so hard to form the words. Merlin shushed her and held her. "Don't apologize. A breakdown was long coming." Hermione shook her head helplessly and clutched her brother and cat as if they were going to disappear. She calmed and removed herself from the two. Crookshanks left the two alone with a final pat on the head. Hermione pointed over to the book and Merlin retrieved it. She turned it to the page with the dagger and let Merlin read it and look at the picture. He gave her a confused looked and she pointed to the scars on her neck and arm. He understood then. He set the book aside and held her arms. He looked into her scared red eyes and kissed her scarred arm. She smiled shakily at him and he smiled back. "You're strong Hermione. It's alright to fear things. It's alright to break down. It's alright to not be alright." Hermione looked at him with such love and emotion. She was so thankful she had him.

She broke down a lot more than he suspected though. Every year on May 2nd, she would seclude herself in the middle of the forest and sit in silence and grieve. She lost everyone that day. People who knew her would think that Harry Potter was her greatest loss, but he wasn't. Her greatest loss was the man named Severus Snape. She wore his scarf everyday to cover her scars, but to also feel closer to him. She didn't love him, heavens no. He trained her, helped her, and had been her friend when Harry and Ron had their moments of pride and left her out. It was ironic though. Her losing her voice and having her neck torn apart. He died having a giant snake tearing at his neck. He would have been living like her if they won the war and he lived. He would be wearing this very scarf, covering his ghastly scars, and losing his soft velvety voice. She idolized him. When he killed Dumbledore, she knew it was the bastard Dumbledore that told him to do so. Snape had tried to push her away so many times, but he never succeeded. He viewed himself as a monster that needed to be isolated and she viewed him as a misunderstood man that need someone to be there for him. So, she was the person to be there for him.

She called forth her solid memories of him and sat in her mindscape with him on that day. She sometimes believed he was actually there and in a sense, he was. She liked to believe that he came down from the spirit world on that particular day, just to see her. The Snape in her mind would tease her for being so emotional and would then hold her because she couldn't stop crying. He would talk to her about studies and she could always _talk_ in her mind. He would commend her on her strength for continuing and told her he was glad she wore his scarf. It was all very heartbreaking for her, but it helped her. She never wanted to let go of his memory and she wouldn't for as long as she could.

She grieved the loss of everyone that day, but she only cried for Severus Snape.

She would read her first year texts on the first of September and sometimes burst into tears. It was a special day that started her on a life adventure, but it was also the start of her sorrow. She was bullied as soon as she entered that school, then was attacked by a troll. That was traumatic for an eleven year old. Then she had Harry and Ron befriend her. They went through the challenges to get the philosophers stone and Hermione started to really respect Snape when she solved his riddle.

She went through many trials in her second year, but gained a mentor in her incident with Polyjuice. Professor Snape her potential in potions and decided to give her extra lessons. Then, she was petrified. When petrified, she was forced to live in her own mind for months. She decided to organize it, protect it and learn it. When she was unpetrified, Professor Snape was there to wake her up and calm her down. She added terrifying yellow eyes to her nightmares of trolls crushing her.

In her third year, nothing much happened to her. Except getting smashed by the whomping willow, facing down a werewolf without wolfsbane and saving a convict and a hippogriff from flying dementors and an angry minister using a time turner! Snape had taught her the Patronus charm her third year and she was so happy for it.

In the fourth year she was shoved in a lake unconscious and was further ridiculed by her "friend" Ron. Only the consoling of Snape could get her to stop raging and setting fire to everything on her path. She was the only one to stand beside Harry in believing he didn't put his name into the goblet of fire and she was still pushed aside when Ron came back to Harry.

Fifth year was the reign of Umbitch, oops, _Professor_ Umbitch. Harry couldn't keep his trap shut in class, so who was there to save him from getting another detention of torture? Her! Whenever he spoke out, Hermione talked over him by saying something more angering to Umbridge that Harry's comments went ignored. She had scars on both her hands from all the detentions she took for Harry, but he never said a thanks. She didn't care though, she was doing it to protect him and he didn't need to notice. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking for weeks and even now she couldn't write anything for long periods of time without pinpricks of pain. They had went to the Department of Mysteries to save Sirius from torture, but he wasn't there. She had gotten her first battle wound in that fight thanks to Dolohov. Sirius had died and _she_ was the emotional support for Harry.

Sixth year was a right terror. Harry had somehow gotten his hands on the text book of the Half-Blood Prince and Hermione was livid. Harry was abusing the notes in the margins that were obviously Snape's and trying spells he didn't even know. She had asked her mentor about it and he told her to get the book back at all costs. He said he had created spells of nightmares in the book and if Harry was going all willy nilly with spells then he was going to injure someone. He did, Malfoy was hit with a _Sectumsempra_ and oh how much Snape wanted to rip Potter's hands off and stuff them down his throat. Hermione eventually got the book back and Snape gave it to her as a gift and said that she would use it responsibly. Then he killed Dumbledore and everything went to hell.

Seventh year was just a blur of torture, horcrux hunts and Ron trying to win her heart. She refused his attempts. No, she didn't hate Ron, but she wasn't the gal for him. Then the battle rolled around and they lost. The Dark Lord triumphed and when she dueled him out of anger, she actually hit him a few times. She was captured after a while and was tortured for the location of the rest of the Order of the Phoenix. She wouldn't give. They gave up questioning her and just tortured her for fun. They stopped calling her Hermione and just nicknamed her the Living Death. Because that's what she looked like, death walking. The rest of the story lead to this moment. She was in the era of the medieval times and a relative to Merlin. Her breakdowns though, they were going to last her lifetime.

After the day when she broke down in front of Merlin, Hermione took a week to relax from her projects and just take a break. After the week was over, she got to work on the ritual again. Merlin made sure he was there with her, but she refused to have her familiar there when she grabbed the dagger out of her bag and held it. It was so spiteful and evil. She couldn't have all that pain and suffering near Crookshanks _or_ Merlin. Her protective instincts kicked in and she rushed her magic into the jewels, the metal, and the entire aura around the weapon. The evil slowly left the dagger and when she opened her eyes, she was left with the most beautiful weapon she had ever seen. The handle was made of gold and had a vine of silver running up the handle. The jewels were still black and sad, holding the the tears of lost men. The blade was shined and still held the goblin magic so it would still work for their use. The blade was hers now. It no longer belonged to the murdering, psychotic bitch that was surely to burn in hell. Merlin was so amazed at the amount of magic she put out and watched the transformation of the blade. It was all so...Hermione. She took something evil and turned it beautiful.

She started carrying it around with her on her belt and kept it close. She treated it like her wand. She had practiced using it and found that she was a natural at throwing it. It was her signature weapon.

She went with Hunith and Merlin to the market one day and when she spotted a man trying to pickpocket her brother, she took the dagger out faster than the eye could see and tripped the man. She had a foot keeping him down and the other held the hand he originally had on Merlin. She had the dagger held to his wrist and silently inspected it. He whimpered beneath her and Merlin walked around her and whispered to the man, "if you value your hand, you'll not try that again." The man nodded quickly and she let him go. He stumbled away as fast as possible and Hermione pocketed her weapon. She looked around and a small crowd had gathered. She rolled her eyes and walked away. She needed to find some materials for the blood ritual. She searched and searched until she found it. A perfectly crafted stone bowl, made with no magic. A bowl that had never touched magic. She had the vendors wrap it in thick fabric before she touched it. She paid only a small price and then went off once again. That was all she could find at the market. She did find some expertly crafted daggers and looked at them dreamily. She loved the art of fighting with them and they were all so beautiful.

She could finally do the ritual on the day of Merlin's sixteenth birthday. She needed to do it at the stroke of midnight in the light of the moon. She would also need to speak the incantation. She knew it would hurt, but she had been practicing talking for longer. She would be alright for it. She lead Merlin out to the forest and headed to a clearing. It was lit by moonlight and bright enough to see everything. She lead him to the center and began to make a perfect circle in bluebell flames contained in jars. She invited him over and he sat in front of her. She signed to him carefully, _"I want to make you my blood brother. The ritual I want to perform will make us actual relatives. I know we're relatives now, but this would make it official."_ Merlin looked excited. "I would love nothing more." She nodded and smiled back. She took out the bowl from her satchel and unwrapped it and there it lay in between them. She set the dagger on the same cloth and took out a clear crystal and set that down too. She looked at Merlin with hesitation and signed, _"I will have to carve a symbol into your skin. It should turn into a tattoo after the ritual, but I don't want to hurt you if you don't want to do this."_ Merlin thought about his choice for a while. He wanted to do this. Merlin responded after a minute, "I want to do this Hermione."

She nodded and picked the dagger up and motioned for him to pull up his left sleeve. He

did so and she took his forearm delicately and held the blade over the point right below the crook of his elbow and began to draw the symbol. He didn't scream, didn't cry, just clamped down his jaw and took the pain. The symbol was simple. Just a circle with a pinprick of a dot in the center. She held his arm over the bowl and let the blood drop into it. Once she was satisfied with the amount, she kissed the wound and it healed. She had Merlin do the same to her arm, but her right one. Once it was healed with his kiss, she took the blade and mixed the blood that was slowly turning the bowl gold. She let a tear drop from her eye and once it touched the crystal, it turned red. She made Merlin do the same and the crystal turned a mix of gold and red. She dropped it in the blood and chanted clearly, "take our tears, take our hearts, and take our souls. Mix them to mix us and let us become one." The bowl shined gold and red and the blood was finally mixed, crystal completely mixed in and disintegrated. Hermione reached for his left hand and took the blood covered blade and sliced a line on his palm. He hissed in pain, but didn't do anything else. She told him to the same thing to her left palm and he did so. The dagger was set aside and Hermione took his hand in hers and aligned the incisions. She felt the connection begin to weave and it was time to use the incantation. She quickly opened the box of ancient magic and it began.

"Under the the stars judging our minds. Under the moon judging our hearts. In the wind judging our souls and the earth judging our life. We combine our blood. We mix our magic. We become...one." Hermione's throat was on fire by the end of it, but she didn't notice because of the blinding silver light that erupted from their combined hands and engulfed them in blinding light. They both felt it. The combining of magic. Her ancient magic twisted with his and seeped into their blood. Her evolved magic was left alone, much to her relief and their forearms burned with searing pain. Neither screamed. The light faded around them and when they opened their eyes, they were both blazing gold. The color faded back to their original red and blue and they both breathed a large sigh. Hermione looked at Merlin's left arm and gasped. An intricate tattoo was printed on his pale skin. It was simple and small, but brought a sense of joy. Two curling lines that met in the middle and hooked around each other. Hermione heard an identical gasp from Merlin and she had the same tattoo on her right arm, right under the crook of her elbow, in the same place as Merlin's. Her and Merlin connected eyes and identically grinned. They were officially blood related. It was like they were born siblings now. Hermione let go of Merlin's hand and vanished the blood left over into a vial she had in her bag and slid her newly washed blade back in her belt. She crumpled up the thick cloth and opened her palms to release a flock of blue butterflies. Merlin gasped when she did the magic and she looked at him questionably. He answered excitedly, "your eyes turned gold! Just like mine do when I do magic!" Hermione smiled and finally stood up. Merlin got up too and they hugged each other. It was nice. To be able to say that they weren't just siblings by adoption, but actual siblings. Hermione whispered shakily to him, "Ha-apy Bir-irthda-ay." Merlin replied lovingly, "thank you."


	6. Chapter 6

**It's finally come! They finally come to Camelot! Merlin will be 18 and Hermione** _ **should**_ **be somewhere around 26, but she looks about Merlin's age. Don't judge it too closely.**

 **A heads up, I had no freaking clue that Gaius was Hunith's brother so…...he's not in this story. Apologies!**

 **Anywho, I want to send a big shout out to Elizabeth (guest)! She has such great ideas and I love reading them. I have big plans for this story!**

 **ENJOY!**

" _Italics are signing."_

 **Disclaimer: Merlin and Harry Potter do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this right now.**

 **Chapter 6**

It was a hard thing for Hunith to do. To send her son away. His magic was getting stronger and neither her or Hermione could help him. Hermione had tried, but found that with her ancient magic mixed with her evolved, she would need some help in the department of figuring out how to work the ancient arts as well. Hunith had decided to send Merlin to Camelot to get help from an old friend, Gaius. She wanted to only send Merlin because Hermione didn't really _need_ to master the ancient arts because she could already do so much. Hunith knew though, she knew Hermione would follow Merlin. Hunith would be alone, but that was alright. She had eighteen wonderful years with Merlin and eleven years with Hermione added to their family. Hunith had to let go. So, she sat down and wrote the letter to Gaius. She was proud of herself for not crying. The only thing that helped was imagining the shock on Gaius's face when Merlin arrived with a sister. The confusion would be hilarious. Hunith wouldn't be able to see it though...pity. She enveloped the small letter and sealed it shut.

Merlin already knew he was leaving, but he was excited. He was so ecstatic to change his routine and to actually do more than chores and grow crops. He didn't notice how anxious Hermione was though. This was the point in history that would change. Merlin originally went to Camelot alone and the details were fuzzy. She just hoped not too much changed with her arrival. Yes, she was past the point of caring about changing history, but too much could have some nasty effects. She was happy though. Seeing Camelot would be every history lover's dream and she felt ready to faint with excitement. Arthur would still be Prince and Uther was King. Hermione didn't like Uther very much. He was a tyrant full of fear disguised as a King that was protecting his citizens. She couldn't say he was all bad though. Camelot had been peaceful, even with the hunting of sorcerers. The people that lived in Camelot flourished. Every coin has two sides, it's just that one side is usually clearer to see and that was Uther's evil side. Hermione had to protect Merlin though. She knew he would screw up once in awhile and she would be there to cover for him. Merlin had an uncanny ability to get stuck in situations and Hermione was always the one to pull his arse out of them. He was always thankful though, and that's all she asked.

Merlin and her were setting off for Camelot the next day. Hermione decided to leave Crookshanks with Hunith. He wouldn't do well in the large city and she was afraid that the cat would be killed by a spiteful vendor for him trying to steal food. It pained her to part with her familiar, but she would visit and take him to Camelot for a while so he could get some new scenery. They had to pack their clothes and Hermione had to find a way to make their place, which Merlin had named The Cave of Dreams, accessible. She loved the name Merlin had given the cave. He said it was because he could only imagine the place being real in dreams. She had smiled and completely agreed. She knew that Merlin was going to be living with Gaius, so she would need to find her own place. Most likely in the lower towns. That is, unless Gaius had a fireplace, then she could connect it to the one in the Cave of Dreams and make a floo network! The only problem would be floo powder. She just prayed that she could find the ingredients for it. It wasn't a complicated mixture, just that some things may not exist yet. If so, she would have to experiment and make her own. It would sure give her something to do.

Hermione just had her satchel which she was ever so grateful for and Merlin had his large backpack. The necklace Hermione had brought to this time with was taken out of the satchel just in case anyone decided to steal it. She put the necklace in the Cave of Dreams, hidden behind a stone in the wall and locked under password. Not even the strongest magic could retrieve it, she made sure of it. She wouldn't dare carry around such a precious object that she still had no idea of its powers.

Hermione and Merlin left in the early morning and hugged their crying mother goodbye. Hermione had made her mother a bracelet and it had their names engraved in it so Hunith would feel a connection to them. Hermione got an extra hug for the gift. Lastly, Hermione gave Crookshanks the largest hug ever. She actually started crying and Crooks licked her tears. She laughed and set the cat down. She left with a final, "be good" to Crookshanks and off they went. They headed out and when they were just at the borders of the village, they turned around and said their last goodbyes to their home. They stepped over the border and smiled. They were heading to Camelot. They walked for hours, just chatting and having fun. It was only a two days walk and they enjoyed every moment of it. They were happy to get away from the calculating looks of their neighbors and the frustration of not being able to do _more_. Hermione was walking slower now and she signed to Merlin, _"it'll be hard for me there, Merlin."_ He looked at her confused and asked, "why?"

 _"People with talking disabilities aren't very common."_

"Yes, I know."

 _"You won't be there to translate for me all the time."_

"Oh."

 _"Yes. I have no way to communicate and this leaves most jobs closed for me."_

"Well. I guess you're right. Maybe this, Gaius could give you a job as assistant Court Physician or something."

 _"Is there such a thing as assistant Court Physician?"_

"Something the great Hermione doesn't know! What a shock!"

Hermione smacked his shoulder and said as clear as possible, "prat." He just laughed and they continued on. Night fell upon them and Merlin set up camp. Hermione didn't need a sleeping bag or anything. She just transformed into her Animagus and slept like that. Merlin had set up the logs for a fire and sat down. She looked at him oddly and signed, _"light the fire."_ He shook his head and smiled, "nope. The great fire demon hound has enough fire at her disposal. Why should I waste my precious energy on something so trivial." Hermione smirked and breathed the fire a bit too far and it caught a bit of Merlin's shirt. He squeaked and jumped up trying to put it out. She laughed and shot a flow of water that soaked him. He stood there sopping wet while Hermione laughed. He sighed and replied, "you know. I should thank you for saving my life from the fire." Hermione stopped laughing and Merlin smiled. "A hug, sister?" Hermione shook her head and stepped away. Merlin bounded after her and they chased each other. Hermione was faster, but she tripped on a log and fell. She was tackled to the ground when she was getting up and was covered with a sopping wet Merlin. She tried to push him off, but he just laughed and said, "feel that. It's the soggy feel of karma." Hermione stopped struggling and looked up at her smirking brother. She glared up at him and struggled to say, "off you prick!" Merlin whistled and whispered, "don't let mum hear you talk like that. She'll have your head for such a respectable young lady using such foul language!" Hermione chuckled and finally pushed him off. When they got up and brushed off the dirt, Hermione signed to him, _"respectable young lady, my arse."_ He nodded and chuckled, "yeah. You know, she still believes she can get you into ladies cloths." They both silently imagined the sight and burst out laughing.

The two siblings headed back to the campsite to dry off and eat. Hermione left to go hunt for some meat while Merlin stayed put. She loved hunting as the Black Shuck. She originally hadn't wanted to tell Merlin of her Animagus form. Yes, he accepted many things about her, but turning into a hound from hell...that was pushing it. When she was hunting one night the year before, Merlin came across her and took one look in her eyes and laughed. He told her that he imagined her more a cat, but a death omen dog fit too. Merlin had taken to calling her Animagus form, Demon Dog, because it looked like a dog from the depths of hell. Which it was. Adding to that fact, she could breath fire. So, he began calling her Devil when she wasn't in her Animagus form. People gave them weird looks, but Merlin enjoyed it. When she asked him why she insisted on calling her Devil and he always answered, "because of your devilishly good looks." They always smiled at that because they both knew that Hermione's scars and red eyes did look devilish. She took no offense to it and was actually flattered, which sounded strange.

She came back from hunting with two rabbits and Merlin cooked it all up. That was a big weakness for Hermione. She couldn't cook. Even when she made breakfast for Hunith it was a simple porridge which was one of the only things she could make. Anything besides a quick add water or something simple like that, cooking was out of her range of knowledge. Which was odd because she was a master level potions mistress. She didn't think cooking and potions were that different, but apparently, cooking was a master skill that you had to be born with. She was alright with that though. She couldn't do everything.

Once the meat was cooked. They ate the hearty meal and chatted. Mostly Merlin chatting. He had no shortage of words to fill in where she couldn't. It was time for sleep and Hermione transformed while Merlin took a sleeping bag. He turned away from her, but she would have none of that. The large canine Hermione curled her body around Merlin and set her head on top of his. He huffed and pushed her head off of him while saying, "honestly Devil. I thought you were supposed to be scary?" She licked his face and pulled him closer. Merlin sighed and replied, "love you too."

They slept peacefully. They both received a certain amount of peace from each other. No nightmares could reach them in what Hermione called the Safety Circle. When Hermione was a formed circle around Merlin and Merlin snuggled to her fur, it truly brought a sense of safety.

After they ate the leftover rabbit for breakfast, the two headed off to Camelot. It was early morning and Camelot would only take another two hours to reach. They spent that time in anxious silence and couldn't stop doing their usual nervous habits. Merlin fidgeted and Hermione bit her lip. Anyone walking past them would think they were up to something by how suspiciously nervous they looked. They finally came upon the large gates of Camelot with extreme nervousness and excitement.

The guards stood stoic and true, guarding the walls of the great city. Everything looked large and Majestic. The gates were open and anyone who wanted to enter was checked. When they finally reached the large entry way, Hermione was checked a bit extra for her suspicious look. She finally got fed up and glared at the guards. She signed to Merlin and he translated, "please let us through, you've checked enough." The guards gave eachother a look and finally nodded. Hermione sighed thankfully and grabbed her satchel back. The idiots didn't even know how to search for weapons. They didn't even find her dagger that was in her belt as always. She looked quite odd in the sea of people. Wearing a black scarf, black shirt, black fingerless gloves, black boots and dark brown pants. She had a scar over her eye and wild hair to finish everything off. Merlin looked like a normal guy. He wore a blue shirt, red neckerchief that he still wore with pride, light brown trousers and a dark jacket that Hunith had made for him and brown boots. They were an odd combination, but got less weird looks in Camelot than they did in the market in Essitir.

Everything in Camelot was full of energy. People bustling around, animals running astray, children running around and adults buying and selling. It was all such a whirlwind of commotion and Hermione almost got lost in it all. She ended up grabbing Merlin's hand so neither would get lost. He looked at her and smiled. "Didn't know I still needed my hand held." Hermione scoffed and signed, _"you'll always need me to hold your hand."_ He snorted, but they both knew he completely agreed. They walked through the lower city and went up and up. Things started getting less dirty and more put together the closer to the castle they got. They finally reached a certain point, only to find a gathering of people. They were trying to shush each other and Hermione was curious. The problem was, she was too short to see past the tall heads. She looked at Merlin for commentary and he was about to tell her when she heard the drums start. She knew what was going on then she held Merlin's hand tighter and he did the same. They were watching an execution.

Hermione looked up to the walls around the square they were standing in and caught sight of the one and only, King Uther Pendragon. He wasn't as royal looking as she thought, but still pretty royal. He stood tall and proud, completely believing what he was doing was right. His hair was greying, but cut close to his head. He wore his crown with pride and peered over the crowd. His clothes were expensive and fit him fine, even if he did have a bit of a belly. He wore a lot of gold though. He was _trying_ to prove his wealth and power by showing it off. Hermione turned her head to the boy they were bringing out. He was just a boy! Only about twenty! He hadn't even begun his life and now this...tyrant, was taking it away. Her anger flared and her eyes started to flicker. Merlin squeezed her hand to remind her that her losing her temper wouldn't be good. She took a deep breath and opened her now whiskey colored eyes. Uther had begun his speech. "This man, has been accused of Sorcery and Enchantments. For such a crime, I, Uther Pendragon, decree this man be sentenced to death, as per laws of Camelot." The boy was lead to the chopping block on the wooden platform. Hermione would have liked nothing more than to maul Uther to death right about now. The scary thing though, was that she had the power to do so. The executioner stepped up and the boy's head was placed on the block. The weapon was raised above his neck. Higher and higher until...

Hermione didn't look. She couldn't. She heard the sickly slice of flesh and the thump of body separating from the head. She buried her face in Merlin's shoulder and he put an arm around her. The King called for celebrations to begin and she couldn't believe one King could be as spiteful as to call celebrations for executions! Everything was interrupted by the wail of a woman. It was so pain filled and anguish was leaking from the sound. Hermione lifted her head and looked at the woman that had made the sad sound. The crowd parted from the woman and Hermione was washed over with an extreme amount of angry magic. She stumbled back and Merlin caught her. The woman spoke to the King. Angry words formed, "there is only one evil in this land and it is not magic. It is you! You took my son and the revenge will befall upon you! By the end of these celebrations, you will feel my pain!" The old and wrinkled woman was called to be seized and before anyone could touch her, she chanted a spell and disappeared in a wind of fabric. Hermione couldn't believe that she had just witnessed the first form of apparition. It looked a lot more painful than being sucked into a tube. Hermione saw that the crowd was just standing dumbly so she took Merlin's hand and lead him to the castle entrance. They needed to get to Gaius.

They had no clue as to where they were going and the castle was just huge! Hermione lead Merlin to some guards and pushed him forward. He got a confused look at first and then like a light being lit, he asked the guards, "do you know where I could find the Court Physician?" The guard pointed to the stairwell behind him and said, "there." Hermione and Merlin thanked the man and walked up the winding stone steps. Merlin turned to read the sign that said Court Physician and pointed to the right stairway. They reached a door and Merlin pushed it open. The two stopped to just look at the amazing room. The shelves on the walls were all filled with artifacts and potions and ingredients. There looked to be about four tables in the room in total and all were cluttered with what Merlin considered junk. The thing he knew would get Hermione stoked was the shelves of books everywhere. He looked over to Hermione to see she wasn't there. He looked around and spotted her searching the potions ingredients and notes with a large smile. He smiled and whispered, "down Devil," she shooed him away and pointed to the man was above them, searching through books. Merlin cleared his throat and called, "Gaius?" The old man quickly turned around and stepped back just a bit too far. He fell straight through the railing and was falling. Hermione's _and_ Merlin's instincts kicked in. Hermione slowed his fall with a flash of gold in her eyes and Merlin brought over the bed under the falling man. Hermione let Gaius go and he fell to the mattress with a grunt. Gaius opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't dead!

Then he remembered what made him fall in the first place. "What the?" He quickly got up and looked over to the boy standing there dumbly. "You! How did you do that?" He shook his head and answered, "I didn't-"

"Did you incant a spell on your head?"

"No, it wasn't me."

"I know it was you! I just want to know how you did it."

"I don't know! It just happens."

"Who did you study with?"

"I didn't study magic."

"Impossible!"

"What would you have me say?!"

"The truth!"

"I was born like this!"

"Impossible."

There was a snort beside the two and Gaius turned to see a bushy haired girl shuffling through his things. The boy groaned, "down Devil! Leave the man's things alone." Gaius turned wide eyes to Merlin and asked, "Devil?" Merlin shook his head and replied, "just a nickname." Hermione turned around holding some papers and noticed Gaius staring at her scarred face. She got a bit self conscious and turned back away. She put the papers down and straightened up. Gaius walked over to her and decided for a formal greeting. He held out his hand and she shook it. "Gaius, Court Physician." She nodded and he waited for her name. She let go of his hand and pointed to the boy. He turned to Merlin and he said, "that's Hermione." Gaius thought, 'what an odd name.' He took a breath and sorted out his thoughts. "Who are you?" he pointed to the boy. "Merlin. I have a letter." Gaius snapped his fingers in realization and said, "your Hunith's boy! You're not supposed to be here until Wednesday!" Hermione slapped her hand over her face as Merlin answered, "it is Wednesday." Gaius felt a bit stupid. He had been so caught up in his projects that he forgot the date! He looked to the two and his eyes set on Hermione. "Why are you here?" Merlin answered for her again and replied, "this is my sister." Gaius's jaw dropped and he looked at the two. He could find no similarities between them. None at all. He didn't even know Hunith had another child! He walked up to Hermione and asked, "you have magic too?" Merlin answered, "yes. She has a lot better control of it though."

Gaius stepped back and asked exhaustedly, "why do you answer for her?" Merlin became a bit awkward and Hermione rolled her eyes. She removed the scarf and Gaius saw why she couldn't answer. Gruesome scars ran across her neck. Precisely where her speaking abilities would be located. She quickly put the scarf back on and did some motions with her hands to Merlin. Merlin looked up to Gaius and asked, "do you have a fireplace?" Gaius thought that was a strange question, but pointed to the back of his chambers and Hermione smiled brightly. She rushed over to the fireplace and Merlin and Gaius watched in fascination as she roamed her hands over the small place. She looked over to Merlin and did more hand motions. Merlin looked to Gaius and asked, "would you mind letting her do an experiment with some of your potion ingredients?" Gaius didn't see why not. He nodded and the girl shot past them and to the ingredients. Gaius turned to Merlin and said distractedly, "your room is over there" and pointed to the doorway up a few steps. Merlin nodded and quickly went to go put his bag in the room. He came back and Gaius questioned, "you're not going to unpack?" Merlin shook his head and kept his eyes glued on Hermione who was getting out a tool for crushing and grinding herbs. "And miss Hermione work on a potion? No way. In all the years I've known her, she has never made a potion. She always boasts of her abilities, so I want to see if she was truthful."

Gaius decided to watch as well. He pulled out a stool and motioned for Merlin to sit next to him. Merlin took the stool gratefully and they watched the woman work. She smirked at Merlin and brought all the ingredients she collected to the table where they were sitting and began to work. Gaius didn't even notice all the ingredients she was putting in the bowl as she expertly chopped, refined and crushed. She brought over a cauldron and a burner and was then working on two things at once. She put all the crushed herbs in a bowl and waved her hand over it. He saw nothing happen, but knew it was an important step. She took the potion she was brewing and poured it into a vial. She turned off the burner and snapped her fingers. Everything she didn't need went back to their places and Gaius's jaw dropped a bit. She did that with no incantations or anything. He peered over to Merlin and he didn't even notice the significance of the power the girl was showing. He looked back over to whatever she was creating and watched as she dropped a single drop on the mound of crushed herbs. As soon as it touched the herbs, the mound turned into a bowl of grey dust. The girl smiled and jumped in a circle excitedly. She did fast hand motions to Merlin and he laughed in joy.

"Congratulations Hermione! Well go on! Try it out!" She nodded excitedly and put the vial down. She took the bowl with her and placed it on the mantle place. She motioned them over and the two obeyed. She took a pinch of the powder and crossed her fingers for good luck. Gaius noticed that his fireplace was empty of wood and everything. She put a foot in the fireplace and the whole thing expanded to fit a person. Gaius choked and couldn't believe his eyes. She stood in the fireplace and nodded to Merlin. She said croakily, but clearly, "the Cave of Dreams!" She threw down the powder and was engulfed in green flames. Merlin and Gaius shouted in surprise and looked to see the fireplace empty of Hermione. "Where did she go?" Gaius was so confused and Merlin replied, "our Cave of Dreams." They waited a second and Hermione came back in the same flash of green flames. She was jumping everywhere excitedly and hugged Merlin. He hugged her back and they both laughed in joy. Gaius thought they didn't look like siblings, but they sure acted like it. He looked to his now normal fireplace and a soot covered Hermione and asked, "how did you do it?" She looked over to him and separated from Merlin. She shook her head and placed a finger over her lips. He guessed she was telling him that it was a secret.

Gaius accepted the fact and moved on. "You better go unpack Merlin, it's getting late." Merlin looked to Hermione and she smiled and shooed him off. Merlin went to his room and Gaius was then alone with the odd girl. He stood in front of her and asked, "if I were to ask you some questions, could you answer me in some way?" She nodded and he continued, "I didn't know Hunith had another child. When were you born?" Hermione snapped her fingers and a parchment and quill appeared. She motioned over to the table and they sat down across from each other. Hermione scribbled a note and passed it to Gaius. It read: _Hunith did not give birth to me._ He asked her, "then you're not really Merlin's sister." She got an annoyed look and pushed up her right sleeve. Gaius gasped, not because of the numerous scars littering her pale skin, but because of the tattoo right under the crook of her elbow. It was the symbol of a blood ritual to make people related. So, she really was Merlin's sister in every sense. He asked her, "when did you do the ritual?" She put down her sleeve and wrote: _on Merlin's sixteenth birthday._ Gaius didn't know how old she would have been, but guessing by her looks, she was the same age. Maybe only a bit older. He then needed to know, "who taught you potions? What you displayed was phenomenal!" She smiled and cleared her throat and said with determination, "Severus Snape." Gaius could tell she held great respect for the man that taught her. She went as far as to say his name instead of writing it because she wanted to show strength and respect for the man she called Severus Snape. He nodded and told her, "I can set you up with a bed for tonight. Then, you'll need to find a place to stay." Hermione nodded and Gaius led her to his bed. "Sleep here. I'll roll out a sleeping bag." He was about to leave, but Hermione grabbed his hand and said, "no. You kee-ep your be-ed." She went over to Merlin's door and disappeared. Gaius was amazed at her generosity. Maybe, she wouldn't be all that bad.

Meanwhile, Hermione had curled up next to Merlin on his small bed after removing her shoes, gloves and scarf. She also made her eyes their original red and felt like herself again. She settled in and Merlin grunted. "We're getting too old for this, Hermione. People would find it scandalous." She just smacked his head and signed, _"let them think what they will. If I want to sleep next to my little brother than I will."_ Merlin chuckled and pulled her closer. "I'm a bit tall to be your _little_ brother, don't you think?" She shook her head and smacked him again. He chuckled and off to sleep they went for the night, peaceful and safe in each other's embrace.


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, that was fun! I'm really enjoying this story. It allows me to watch Merlin for a third time! I know I can watch it more because I did in fact watch the entire series, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, six time through... That's a lot. Continuing! I have a longer chapter here for you! Another note, thank you for the reviews! I really enjoy reading them. Gives me many ideas! ENJOY!**

" _Italics are signing."_

 **Disclaimer: the two magnificent stories I am writing about are not mine... Sad I know.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

Hermione and Merlin were up bright and early, like usual. It took her less time to get ready because of a spell she created to clean hair, clothes and skin. She was bored and getting tired of the trouble with washing her hair and laundry so she decided to make a spell to do it all for her. Merlin always shook his head and said she would get fat if she kept being lazy. She just told him that she would then be sitting on her fat arse watching him do the laundry. It was an ongoing tease, but they found it funny. Hermione slipped on her scarf, gloves, dagger and boots and did the spell.

She then felt fresh and clean so she waved goodbye to Merlin and left him to get dressed. She went down to the main room and found Gaius cooking. She sat down at the table with the three chairs set up and stayed silent. She didn't think Gaius even noticed her presence. Merlin soon walked out and Gaius did turn to the noise of Merlin clunking down the stairs loudly. She shook her head, but Merlin didn't notice. He was focused on the food that was being served into a bowl. Hermione snorted, it looked like slop. She couldn't do much better, but wow. Gaius turned to Merlin and said brightly, "ah, Good Morning Merlin! I got you some water. You forgot to wash last night."

Merlin nodded and sat down to the bowl of slop and crinkled his nose. "Good morning to you too Hermione." She nodded in greeting and Hermione spotted Gaius going to knock over the bucket. She didn't stop him, she knew he was trying to test Merlin's abilities. He knocked over the bucket and Merlin's eyes lit gold and the bucket and water stopped midair. Gaius looked to Merlin wide-eyed and Merlin dropped the bucket. Before any of it could hit the ground, Hermione froze it with a flash of golden eyes and Merlin took a breath. "Thanks." Hermione smiled and put the water back in the bucket and levitated it onto the table. Gaius sighed and said, "truly amazing." Hermione beamed at Merlin and he blushed. "Well! Until you find some work, run some errands for me." Merlin nodded and Gaius held two vials out to him. He pointed to one and told Merlin, "this goes to Lady Percival." Then pointed to the vial full of yellow liquid and said "and this goes to Sir Olwen. He's as blind as a weevil so don't let him take it all at once." Merlin nodded and took the vials. The one to Lady Percival was snatched from his hand by Hermione and she told him, _"I'll deliver this and you take that. I'll meet you there."_ She walked out of the room and Merlin sighed. He turned to Gaius and bid him goodbye.

He walked through the large halls of the castle. It really was a beautiful castle. The walls were stone and lit brightly with stained glass windows. He needed to get to a lower level so he took the stairs down. He looked for the right door when he got down and knew it was the right one when he saw Hermione there waiting. She was sipping a cup of tea? How was that even possible! He walked up to her and she held out a sandwich for him. His stomach grumbled and he smiled gratefully.

Before taking the sandwich he knocked on the door and an old man opened it. His eyes were half closed and wrinkles covered his face. He stood in a hunch and Merlin held out the man's medicine and told him, "I have your medication." The man held out his hand completely away from the bottle so Merlin guided his hand over to it and Sir Olwen took it gratefully. Merlin turned to leave when he remembered, Gaius's instructions. He turned around and started, "oh, Gaius said to not-" he stopped when he noticed the bottle was empty and the man was looking at him oddly.

"Should be fine" Merlin said hopefully. The door was closed and Hermione passed him his sandwich and she continued sipping her tea. Merlin took a bite and turned to his sister, "he will be alright?" She nodded. Merlin thought for a moment and whispered to her, "I heard a voice saying my name this morning. Was it you?" She shook her head and told him, "I he-ard it too." They both stopped and thought about it. They were standing in a hall that had large open windows leading to the courtyard. Hermione took a last sip of her tea and threw it over her shoulder and it to smash into the courtyard. Merlin tisked at his sister and told her, "you can't do that in a castle." She smirked to him and signed, _"already did."_

He snorted and they walked together, just touring the castle. Hermione told him some facts she knew of the castle and he ate it all up. They finally ended their little tour at the training grounds where there were a group of men training. They walked up and could hear one of the men ordering around what Merlin guessed would be a servant. The servant was being used as target practice and Merlin knew it wasn't right. The men were laughing and having a jolly good time throwing daggers at the servant. Merlin looked to Hermione and could see the anger on her face. The servant dropped the shield and it rolled over to Merlin. He put his foot on the shield and the group looked up to him and Hermione. Merlin smiled kindly and said just as kindly, "alright, that's enough."

The head of the group, who was a tall and bulky blonde who stood proud with superiority, walked up to Merlin and asked, "what?" Merlin, still smiling replied, "you've had your fun, my friend." The man looked incredulous and asked, "do I know you?" Merlin held his hand out for a greeting and replied, "no, I'm Merlin."

"So I don't know you?"

"Uh, no. I guess not."

"Yet you call me your friend."

"That was a mistake."

"Yes. Yes it was."

"I could never have a friend that's such an ass."

Hermione slapped her face and muttered at Merlin's stupidity. Did he not know who he was insulting? The man replied smartly, "Nor I a friend so stupid." Merlin turned back around and Hermione wanted to kill both of them. "Tell me Merlin. Do you know how to walk on your knees?" Merlin replied "No." So the brute walked up to him and said haughtily, "Would you like me to help you practice?" Merlin stepped forward and shook his head, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hermione glared at him. Merlin knew very well he couldn't protect himself. He wanted _her_ to beat up this man because he was sure she could. She probably could, but that wasn't the point. The blonde scoffed and held out his arms, "Go on then. Try and hit." When Merlin didn't move, the man goaded him on further and said, "C'mon."

Merlin took a swing and as soon as the brute touched Merlin, her instincts kicked in and she grabbed the blondes hand, twisted it and pushed him to the ground all while grabbing his sword from his holster and when he was on the ground, she held the sword to his throat while her hand held his twisted one and her foot was on his other arm, holding him down.

She had locked him in a position so if he moved, he would break his arm or get impaled by the sword. The men in the background had pulled their swords and Merlin stood there wide-eyed. He didn't think Hermione would actually protect his stupid self. The man under Hermione couldn't even speak as she lifted the sword as if to impale him and the men were ready to attack her, but she pushed the sword next to his head instead of inside of it. She helped him up, but made sure he was farther away from Merlin. She gave a small bow and turned to Merlin.

She signed to her dumbfounded brother, _"you just insulted Prince Arthur of Camelot! Apologize!"_ Merlin's eyes widened and Arthur was extremely confused. He had just been taken down by a _girl_ half his weight and almost a head shorter than him. Merlin didn't apologize so Hermione sighed and turned to the Prince. She didn't want to speak. It was just awkward. So, she just gave him an apologetic smile and turned an angry face to Merlin. Arthur saw her making wild movements with her hands and Merlin shrunk back every second.

She went over to him and pulled him behind her by his ear and he could do nothing, but yell, "ow, ow, ow, ow! Devil! That hurts! I'm sorry! I didn't know he was royal!" The men watched as she just tugged him harder and they disappeared from view. Arthur turned slowly to his Knights and said in a low voice, "we never speak of this again." They nodded and continued training. The thing that was stuck in all their minds was, 'who were the knew folks that dare stand up to the Prince?'

Meanwhile, Hermione dragged Merlin all the way to Gaius's chambers and he felt as if his ear was going to fall off. When they got to Gaius, she furiously wrote a note to the olden man and passed it to him. When he was done reading the note, Merlin could see that he now had two very pissed off people and their anger was aimed at him. "Merlin! You are the one person who should keep your head down and what do you do? You pick a fight with the Prince! I should have you put in the stocks for this." Hermione's face lit up and and she looked extremely evil at that point.

She wrote another note and Gaius nodded, "well, yes. You could get him put in the stocks. Shall I go ask for permission?" Hermione looked at Merlin evilly and nodded. Gaius smirked as well and off he went. "Oh, no. Please don't. My ear is already killing me. Please Hermione, I'm sorry." She shook her head and grabbed his shirt. She lead him out to the stocks and waited for Gaius to come and give Hermione the all good to punish her little brother for putting her in a position that dangerous. Merlin was trying to plead with her, but like her namesake, she gave no mercy. Gaius came up to them and gave them the all good. A crowd of people began to form, ready to throw rotten vegetables. Hermione locked him in and flashed her red eyes at him. "Have fun, idiot." Before she left, she took the neckerchief and bounded away. She laughed maniacally and left the people to throw their food.

Merlin was getting pelted with rotten foods and he honestly felt he learned his lesson. He would still show the prat a lesson if the chance arose though. His sister just stood and laughed and when the people started to leave because they had run out of food, he sighed in relief. That is, until his sister went up to the stand and held a tomato in each hand. "I've learned my lesson, Devil. Please don't." She just shook her head and threw a tomato. It exploded before it reached him and covered him in tomato guts. She did the same with the other one, but aimed it at his boots. He was covered in tomato now and she and Gaius laughed. He saw Hermione sit down and wait for more people. She was going to enjoy this.

Merlin was praying to whoever was listening to get him out of the situation when someone cleared their throat beside him. He turned his head and looked into the eyes of a beautiful girl. Her skin was dark olive and had dark brown hair in a mess of curls. She wore a regular woman's dress and a red cloak. She smiled and greeted him, "I'm Guinevere. My friends call me Gwen."

Merlin reached out his hand the best he could and she took it. "I'm Merlin. Also known as idiot."

"No, I saw what you did."

Merlin sighed and replied, "oh, that, that was stupid."

"No! No, I thought it was very brave."

"Really?"

"Yes, but I'm glad you had someone there to help you."

Merlin looked to a smiling Hermione and replied to Gwen, "my sister? I'm not glad she was there. She's the one who put me in here."

"Why?"

"She can't yell at me that much, so she needs to express her disappointment in me in other...creative ways."

"Can't yell at you?"

Merlin didn't realize he'd said that. He looked to Hermione nervously because he knew she could hear the whole conversation. Hermione just rolled her eyes and motioned him to continue. Merlin looked back to Gwen and said, "yeah, she can't speak."

Gwen looked a bit awkward and said, "oh, what happened."

Merlin shook his head and replied, "can't say."

Gwen was going to ask why, but was interrupted by people coming back with more food to throw. He held up a hand and said, "uh, sorry to cut the chat short, but my fans are back."

Gwen laughed and left as Merlin was being pelted with food again. Hermione had continued to enjoy her brothers embarrassment. Gaius had left a while ago to make lunch.

It was an hour later when Hermione finally took pity on Merlin and stopped the onslaught of food coming his way. Hermione knew the Prince was watching and didn't want him to enjoy too much of Merlin's embarrassment, just so he could use it as teasing. Once Merlin was free, he did the only thing he could think of and gave her a big hug. The people laughed at the two as they threw the food littering the ground at each other. It was like watching jesters. They finally stopped when they were both covered in food. They continued to smile even as they walked back to the castle. All the while, Arthur stood watching the two's antics. He found their sort of bond extremely unique. Arthur knew she was the one to put Merlin in the stocks, yet they held no grudge after Merlin was humiliated. Arthur would never admit it to anyone, but he was envious. He quickly turned around and walked away.

Merlin and Hermione walked back to Gaius's chambers and the Court Physician sighed when he saw the two of them. "I thought you were trying to punish him?" Hermione just smiled and shrugged. She snapped her fingers and she was free of food guts, but Merlin was left filthy. "Punishment" Hermione said and pointed to Merlin. He glared at her half heartedly, but she ignored him. The two sat down for lunch and Gaius had a bowl of chopped vegetables. He pushed towards Merlin and asked, "vegetables?" Hermione snorted and Merlin rolled his eyes. Merlin and Gaius chatted with Hermione just listening and putting input in when she could. After lunch, Gaius called Merlin over to do an errand. Once Merlin left to take a potion to Lady Helen, the singer for the next night's feast, Hermione decided to go to the Cave of Dreams and set it up for her stay there. She planned to add another two rooms. One for potions and the other for a bed. It would take maybe three or four hours, but she needed a place to stay. So, Hermione went off to the floo and told Gaius to tell Merlin where she went. She loved having a floo. No one knew how to use it and that was fantastic. Gaius had tried to get her to tell him how it worked, but she refused.

She plopped out in the other side and looked at their paradise. The sky shone bright and sunny with beautiful fluffy clouds. She looked down at her feet and saw the eager to greet Crookshanks who had missed his Hermione. Hermione smiled brightly and hugged her cat. She wanted to tell him that she'd be seeing him every night for sleep and he wouldn't be forgotten, but she couldn't. He would understand when she made a bedroom. Hermione set down her cat after a reunion and Hermione got to work. She went over to the wall beside the curving bookcase and put her hands on it. She was getting a feel for what was behind it. It was just solid rock and she was grateful for that. She needed to be careful though. One wrong move and the whole place could collapse. She closed her eyes and felt for her magic. She sent it through the stone and let it eat away at it, creating a perfectly square room. It took an hour for her magic to finish eating away at the rock and she finally opened her eyes to reveal the room. That took a lot of energy, but she needed a potions lab. She went over to the other side of the large bookshelf and did the same process, except that time, she made the room a bit bigger which made the project two hours. She let go of the stone and called back her magic. She wiped the sweat from her brow and continued on. She grabbed a sleeping bag and four matches and went to her bedroom. She set the matches in the middle of the ground, closest to the wall in front of her and focused on the picture in her mind. The matches stretched and grew to form a bed frame. It was normal and sized for a full bed. She would carve designs into it if she was ever bored. She set the sleeping bag on to top of it and created a mattress. It was comfortable. She took some fabric swatches from her pocket that she had been ripping from people's clothes all day and placed a nice red one on the bed and enlarged it to a fluffy comforter. She made two black fabrics into pillows and took another black one and turned it into a rug. She went over to the left side of the room and made an artificial window. It had the same effect on it as the ceiling in the main room. She put some black and red curtains on it and left that room with the final touch of a wooden side table with a candle and white rose in a vase. Crookshanks hopped on the bed and she knew then that he understood that she would be staying the night there every night. She smiled at the feline and walked out of the newly formed room.

Hermione went over to the other room and brought out more matches. She created two long tables on the left side of the room and two long shelves above the tables. Then, she added another bookshelf, but bigger and let it stand on the floor. She put that on the left side of the room. Her final touch to the room was a couch and a fireplace on the left side of the room. Just in case she needed to sit and watch a potion carefully. She made the couch red with black trimming. She didn't know why she went with that color scheme, but she did. She also placed a black rug in the middle of the room. Hermione then went out of the room and grabbed any books on the original bookshelf that had to do with potions. She placed those in the Potion's room and then created vials to put on the shelves above the potions. She took cauldrons from her satchel and placed two on each table with a burner and a cutting board. As well as knives and other tools. Then it was done, a potion maker's dream. She stepped out and added doors with her two remaining matchsticks and sighed. That took her almost five hours! Magic wasn't that fast and it drained a lot of energy. She wasn't dead tired like she would have been before, but that was because of the extra magic she gained from being blood related to Merlin.

Before Hermione left, she gave one last hug to her cat and kissed his head. She loved Crookshanks and couldn't wait to let him loose on Camelot. They wouldn't know what hit them! She set the cat down and waved goodbye. She stepped into the fire place and floo'd back to Gaius's chambers. When she got there, she was surrounded by a feeling of self doubt and depression. She looked to Gaius who was sitting at a table with head in hands and a depressed look. She knew Merlin did something. She stormed up to Gaius and slammed her hands on the table. A growl escaped her lips and she struggled to keep original eye color. The Physician jumped and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What...happened" she ground out. Gaius sighed and replied, "him and Arthur got in a scuffle down in the market and Merlin used magic in public. I told him magic was to be mastered and cherished, not to be used for silly pranks." Hermione growled at that and wanted to tell the man that he told Merlin wrong. Magic could be used however wanted, but to use it responsibly is what makes a great sorcerer. Hermione stormed off and stepped into Merlin's room and closed the door. Merlin was sitting down, facing away from her and she stepped closer. "Go away, Hermione."

She just rolled her eyes and sat in front of him. She waited for him to look up at her and he did so. His face was flushed and there was still frustration on his face. She took his hand and held it. "I was disrespectful to magic." Hermione shook her head and Merlin looked confused she dropped his hand and signed to him, _"what do I always tell you about magic?"_ Merlin looked down and mumbled, "magic can be used however the user sees fit, but to use it with responsibly is what makes a sorcerer great." Hermione nodded and smiled at him. She lifted his head and signed, _"I used to have two friends that loved to prank people with magic. It made them and people around them happy. What made it alright was that they always used their gifts for good and to make people smile. They were always clever about it and were responsible with how they used magic. You can do great things with your magic, even if it's pranks, but you need to be responsible with it."_ Merlin nodded and Hermione smiled at him.

She sighed and signed, _"time for bed. Celebrations are tomorrow."_ Merlin nodded and Hermione tucked him in. She stood up to leave and he grabbed her hand. She turned red eyes to him and he whispered, "stay. Just one last night." Hermione nodded. She kicked off her boots and pulled off her jacket. She untied her scarf and hung it from a hook carefully. Hermione laid down in front of him and they looked into each other's eyes. Hermione had enlarged his bed a bit. Just in case he ever felt the need for her to sleep there. He shifted and hissed in pain. Hermione sighed and sat up. She motioned with her finger for him to roll over and Merlin did so. She lifted his shirt to reveal the cut on his shoulder blade and growled. Merlin chuckled and said, "I deserved it, Devil. Don't go tearing the royal prat's head off." She sighed and placed her hand on the wound. He hissed in pain and she slapped his head while saying, "wuss." He grunted and she focused on healing the wound. She closed her eyes and focused on healing his skin. When she opened her eyes, the wound was newly healed, pink skin. She pulled his shirt back down and laid in front of Merlin again. He smiled and whispered, "best sister ever." She smiled back and whispered, "I know."

With that, they closed their eyes and went to sleep. They never heard Gaius creak open the door to see what was going on. Gaius had heard most of their conversation and thought it was interesting. Their bond was uncanny and completely unbelievable. In theses times, sister and brother weren't this close. Maybe it was the magic? That would explain it. Or maybe a soul bond? Two people who were meant to stand side-by-side, but not always as lovers. They had a sibling bond extremely close, though. Gaius exited the room as quietly as he came and sat on his bed. He extinguished the candles and thought to himself, 'maybe even I could learn things from Hermione.'

 **"Merlin"**

Merlin and Hermione's eyes shot open. He whispered to her, "did you hear that?" She hesitantly nodded as the voice sounded again, **"Merlin."** Hermione and Merlin shot out of bed and looked around the room. Hermione closed her eyes and focused. The voice sounded again, and louder, **"Merlin."** Hermione's eyes shot open and she grabbed Merlin's hand and lead him quietly through Gaius's chambers. The man was snoring and loudly too. She stepped silently and Merlin...not so much. He ended up bumping a vial and it smashed on the floor. Hermione and Merlin stopped to see if Gaius would wake up, but the man just flipped over and continued snoring. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed Merlin's hand. She lead him on the safest route out the door and in a moment, they were free. Merlin closed the door quietly and looked to Hermione. She was listening for the voice again. It called out, **"Merlin."** Hermione's red eyes popped open and she signed quickly to Merlin, _"it's coming from below the castle."_ Merlin nodded and racked his head for what it could be.

The two siblings rushed down and Merlin saw that Hermione forgot shoes, but didn't look like it bothered her. They sped through the halls as the voice kept calling to them. They finally reached the stairway to the dungeons and quietly went down the steps. They stopped at seeing guards below them, playing with dice. Merlin got an idea and when the dice hit the table next, Merlin threw it off to the side. The guards were confused and they tried to get the dice. Merlin made it go further and further away until they couldn't see the guards any longer. He looked back at Hermione, only to see she wasn't there. He looked back down and saw she was waiting at the doors and pretend yawning. Merlin groaned and whispered furiously, "how do you do that?" She motioned him to come closer as if to tell him a secret so he leaned in. She whispered in a fake amazed tone, "magic!" She even did the jazz hands and everything. Merlin sighed and Hermione chuckled.

The two went down a few flights of stairs that reached one wide stairway. It was lit with a single torch and from the depths below the stairs, the voice sounded, **"Merlin."** Merlin grabbed the torch beside them and lead them down the steps. When they reached the bottom there was a loud call of, **"Merlin!"** Hermione wanted to tell the voice to shut up, but that wasn't happening. They reached a winding opening that lead to a cave. An enormous cave with enough room a modern day airplane, Maybe more. It was just a cave, or so they thought. Merlin called out in the cave, "Hello! Is no one there?" Then, like from a book, flew this large dragon. It was faded gold and oldish looking. It landed on the mound of rocks in front of them. Merlin and Hermione took a step back. The sharp toothed dragon opened its mouth and spoke, "I'm here."

Hermione blinked a couple times. She stepped closer to the dragon and Merlin followed. She could only say one thing and that was, "holy shit." The dragon laughed and it eased the tension in the cave. She rode a dragon out of Gringotts and that thing was close to death! If they were always this wise then how on earth did they get stuck in taming processes? Hermione snapped out of her thoughts when the dragon said in a rusty booming voice, "such a small boy, for such a great destiny." Merlin looked confused and Hermione had an 'ah-ha' moment. This was where Merlin found his destiny about protecting the Prince to bring peace to magic users and non and create Albion. Merlin stuttered and asked, "destiny? What destiny?"

The dragon responded, "you were given theses gifts for a reason Merlin."

Merlin looked elated and he responded excitedly, "so, there is a reason?"

The dragon nodded and said, "of course there is a reason! Arthur is to be the king that unites Albion, but he faces many threats from friend and foe alike. He will need you to protect him."

Merlin shook his head furiously and said stubbornly, "no, no that's not right."

The dragon seemed to sigh and respond with a tone of finality, "there is no right or wrong. Just what is and what isn't. And it is your destiny to help Arthur create a better world."

Merlin, still set on the fact that Arthur was a no good royal ass, argued, "it can't be this Arthur, because this Arthur's an idiot."

The dragon laughed and flew off. Merlin shouted to him, "I want to know more!" The dragon was already gone though. Merlin looked to a thoughtful Hermione and left without a word. She stood for a moment and was surprised when the dragon flew back. He looked to Hermione and said to her, "your destiny is a great one as well, young one." Hermione stepped forward and the dragon continued, "Merlin cannot succeed without _your_ guidance and protection. You need to lead him on the right path." Hermione cleared her throat and asked painfully, "I-is that why I w-as sent he-ere?" The dragon shook his head and responded, "you were always meant to be apart of this time and help Merlin, but you weren't. So, the fates decided to re-do time, but with you restored to your rightful place this time around." Hermione frowned thoughtfully and she gave a respectful bow to the dragon. She said the best she could, "I tha-ank you for your wisdom." And the dragon replied back, "so kind and noble. I hope to see you again." Hermione smiled and ran after her brother.

It was the next morning and people were losing their heads preparing for the celebrations. Hermione had let Merlin get to his duties while she just walked around and enjoyed the chaos. Some poorly confused servant handed her a tray of food and told her to go put it in the hall. She had been unconsciously helping everyone all day and now at the time of the celebrations, she was pushed into the dining hall with a pitcher of wine and ordered to serve everyone. She had no clue how anyone could have mistake her for a servant. She wore her regular attire and not a uniform. It was all strange.

So, she passed off the wine pitcher to a _real_ server and headed towards Merlin who was making googly eyes at Lady Morgana...wait! Lady Morgana?! As in Morgana Le Fay? Hermione swiveled on the spot and just sort of gaped at her. Hermione felt magic coming from the King's ward, but it was faint. The magic wasn't evil either, it was just waiting to be released. Morgana hadn't found her magic yet? How odd. The stories must have derailed from the facts after years of re-tellings. Morgana caught her eye and she shut her mouth and did a respectful curtsey, then headed towards Merlin, who was then making googly eyes at Guinevere. Which Hermione knew would be a lost cause for her brother because she was the future queen of Camelot.

Hermione joined them and Merlin greeted her with a smile. She smirked evilly at him and signed, _"she's not your type Merlin. Stop trying so hard I can almost_ see _your desperation."_ Merlin blushed scarlet and Gwen was confused. She didn't understand how hand gestures could mean anything. Hermione cleared her throat and held out her hand to Guinevere. Gwen shook her hand and greeted, "Guinevere, but you can call me Gwen." Then Gwen realized her blunder and stumbled over her words. "I mean, you don't have to call me that, I mean you could, since you can't-"

she was cut off by Hermione putting a hand on her shoulder and smiling good naturally. Merlin chuckled and said, "Gwen, this is my sister Hermione. She takes little seriously, but won't hesitate to put me in the stocks." Hermione smiled proudly because she knew Merlin knew she would put him in the stocks again and she would be the first in line to throw a tomato. She let go of Gwen's shoulder and signed to Merlin, _"aren't you supposed to be working?"_ Merlin was about to respond when the King entered and everyone went to their seats. Hermione and Merlin stood in the corner by the front table to listen to what the King had to say. He cleared his throat and went on a speech that was meant to flatter the singer and yadda yadda yadda. Hermione did tune in when she heard the introduction of, "Lady Helen of Mora." Hermione wracked her brain for a Lady Helen. She couldn't find anything. The beautiful woman came out on stage, tall and regal. Her dark hair was tied up and a necklace was hidden in her dress of orange and blue. She opened her mouth and out came the most beautiful singing voice Hermione had ever heard. It was calming, soothing and made her want to close her eyes and sleep. That is, until she noticed everyone else falling asleep. Hermione covered her ears and Merlin did the same.

They looked at each other with inquiring eyes as the room started to become dark. Majestic cobwebs grew from nothing and covered the crowd. Hermione had a feeling that the Lady Helen, who was walking towards the royals, was not who she seemed to be. Hermione caught a glance of a dagger being pulled from the woman's sleeve and Hermione gasped. Merlin saw it too and went into action by cutting the chain on the chandelier above her, and letting it drop on the woman. Her singing stopped and the people slowly woke up. Hermione and Merlin took their hands off their ears and watched them clear the cobwebs away. Hermione watched in horror as the woman pulled back her hand to throw the dagger at Arthur.

Two things happened at that moment. Merlin ran towards Arthur to get him out of the way of the flying dagger and Hermione had thrown her dagger at the woman's head. Merlin had gotten the Prince away while Hermione's dagger impaled the woman's head. There was silence as the group of people looked towards the killer of the witch and savior of the Prince. Hermione straightened up from her dagger throwing position and Merlin removed himself from Arthur. Uther walked up to Merlin and said gratefully, "you saved my son. You must be rewarded." Merlin turned down the offer, but the King insisted. "You shall have a position in the royal household." Merlin smiled excitedly, that is until the King declared, "you shall be Arthur's manservant." The crowd applauded and Merlin and Arthur looked absolutely downtrodden. Hermione snorted and patted Merlin on the back.

Uther then turned to Hermione and said, "and you!" She looked at him wide eyes and he continued, "shall be rewarded as well for slaying the sorceress. What would you request?" Hermione opened her mouth and closed it. She couldn't speak. She just shook her head and pointed to her dagger. All she wanted was her precious dagger back. A knight who was attending decided to get up and retrieve her dagger. It was the one and only, Sir Leon. Hermione took it with a grateful smile and put it back in her belt. She didn't like all the stares she was getting for refusing a gift from the king. So, she bowed her head respectfully and left. Just like that. Everything was silent for a moment until chatter started up again. Merlin excused himself from his new 'master' and went after his sister. He found her in the most unusual place. Sitting on a rafter close to the ceiling.

She was just staring at the floor. "Waiting to pounce on someone there, Devil?" Hermione chuckled and looked at Merlin with her red eyes. She really didn't know what to say. She had just killed a mother trying to hurt the man who had hurt her child. All the woman was doing was getting revenge for her boy and Hermione had taken that away. She knew Arthur couldn't die and the old woman would have died anyways, but it felt wrong. She signed to Merlin, _"it didn't feel right."_ Merlin nodded and motioned for her to come down. She disappeared from view and reappeared next to Merlin. He jumped in surprise and said incredulously, "that's how you get around so fast?" She smirked and nodded. Merlin pouted and said, "not fair." She just patted his shoulder. Merlin took Hermione's hand and they walked back to Gaius's chambers hand in hand.

They waited an hour for Gaius to come back and when he did, he was holding an item wrapped in red. Hermione knew what it was. From spending her lifetime getting books as gifts, she could spot one. Gaius handed it to Merlin and told him, "I want you to be able to do magic, but you need to study it. So, I found you this." Merlin took the book and he ripped the cloth off. There, in his hands was a book of ancient magic. He flipped through the pages excitedly and looked to Gaius with joy filled eyes. "A book of magic!" Gaius chuckled and Hermione smiled. "Then, you must keep it somewhere safe" Gaius told him. Merlin nodded excitedly and kissed his sister on the cheek. "Goodnight, Hermione! See you tomorrow!" He then ran up to his room to look at his new book. Hermione smiled and looked to Gaius. She nodded gratefully to him and he did so back to her. Hermione then floo'd back to the Cave of Dreams and got ready for bed. Once she was laying down, her fluffy half-kneazle jumped on her bed and cuddled up next to her. She smiled and stroked her cat's fur. "Night Crooks," Hermione croaked. The feline just snuggled in closer and Hermione fell into a peaceful sleep thinking that life could never be normal...and she was alright with that.


	8. Chapter 8

****Whoa! This is a long chapter! Well, I Hope you're still reading and commenting. This is where I really start to add my twists to the story. Yes, it will follow that same story line, but I'm going to change it up a bit. Just because I said so! Anywho, ENJOY!****

 ** _"Italics are sign language"_**

 ** _ **"Bold italics are parseltongue" (clue?)**_**

 ** **Disclaimer: Nope...still don't own Harry Potter or Merlin****

* * *

 ** **Chapter 8****

Merlin had been Arthur's manservant for about a month and he absolutely despised it. While Merlin hated it, Hermione loved it. She watched him make a fool of himself day after day and she refused to get a job, just so she could be close to her brother. She and Merlin had also been practicing spells from the book Gaius had given Merlin. Hermione had a tough time because they all needed to be spoken. Merlin, however, was excelling and Hermione was proud. He was shaping up to be the great wizard history for told. He had a long journey ahead of him, but he was doing good. That day, Merlin was called to help Arthur train. Hermione couldn't keep the smile from her face. She had been trying to get Merlin to practice sword fighting with her since he was eight, but he never took to it. Hermione, however, loved it. The clanking of metal and the danger of getting impaled, she loved it. Merlin was carrying the armor out to the grounds and she followed him. The two were training outside the castle walls on the green by the castle. It was early and there was no one up. She followed Merlin, carrying the swords and they walked up to a waiting Arthur.

Arthur wasn't surprised to see Hermione with Merlin. She seemed to be with Merlin whenever he was doing a chore that had the potential to turn embarrassing. If that was how siblings acted, he wanted no part of it. She would even correct Merlin on the right way to make a bed or how to polish armor. It was odd, but he was used to her presence. Something about her made him weary though. The way she looked at him was as if she already knew him. Like she was expecting something from him. It was almost like how his father looked at him.

The two reached Arthur and he smiled. "Ah, Merlin! Throw on some armor and let's practice." Hermione looked like Christmas has come early. Merlin looked more like he wanted to die right then and there. Hermione grabbed the armor and began to dress Merlin for practice. Arthur was amazed at her knowledge on armor and anything to do with fighting at all. She was a girl after all and girls didn't sword fight. Merlin was ready and the curly haired girl passed him a sword. She patted him on the shoulder and did another one of those hand movements. Merlin groaned and Hermione laughed. Arthur still hadn't heard the girl talk and was starting to think she couldn't. Plus, she always did those hand motions which Merlin somehow understood. Arthur felt a little out of the loop when they did that.

Merlin stood in front of him with a shield and sword. His stance was all wrong, so Arthur instructed him on how to fix it. He followed the instructions and was ready. "Alright, protect yourself the best you can." Merlin nodded and replied, "yes, sire." Arthur dealt the first blow and Merlin blocked expertly. Arthur expected he had spent a while dodging and blocking blows from Hermione. The woman was frightening. Arthur came out of his thoughts and began to train. "Come on Merlin! Shield. Sword. Shield. Shield. Sword! Head!" Merlin was trying his best, but Arthur was an expert. "Head?" And then Merlin was promptly clanked in the head, and fell to the ground. Hermione was on the ground laughing. Well, silently laughing.

Merlin took the helmet off and sighed. "Laugh it up, Devil! How about you try and beat him." Hermione stopped laughed and looked to Arthur, asking permission. First, Arthur looked down to Merlin and said, "good job. Most servants fall on the first blow." Merlin smiled and Arthur helped him up. Arthur whispered in Merlin's ear, "can your sister really fight?" Merlin gave him a weird look and answered, "well, yeah. Just ask, sire, and she'll take you on." Arthur thought about it and then finally decided to try. Anyone would be better practice than Merlin. He motioned to Hermione and called, "if you really want to fight me, then come on." He had never seen her smile brighter. She grabbed a shield and a sword and didn't even bother with armor. "Hermione, you'll need armor."

Merlin laughed and said, "no she won't." Hermione looked smug and took her stance. Arthur decided to make it fair and remove his armor. They were both evenly matched and Hermione couldn't stop dancing on her feet. They stood and waited for someone to make the first move. Arthur finally decided to just swing and Hermione expertly ducked. She swiftly grabbed his arm and knocked the sword from his hand while pushing him to the ground. Her sword was held to his neck and he blinked. That was smart. She let him back up with a smirk and they stood in stances again. "Good. Uh, that was just lucky." Hermione rolled her eyes and mouthed something that looked suspiciously like "men." She took the first swing that time and the clanking of swords continued. She took him down that time by stomping on his foot and kicking the back of his knee. He fell to the ground and she held a sword to him. Arthur could tell Merlin was enjoying his humbling. Hermione let him up and Arthur _was_ going to win this round. They got in stances and began. Hermione swung the sword expertly and had fast feet. Arthur had strength on his side. Arthur ended up getting her shield away from her and he swore he saw her eyes flicker an angry red before going back to normal. He ignored it as a trick of the light. They continued on and both were getting worn out.

Hermione decided to end the fight and threw her sword to the ground. While Arthur was distracted wondering what she was doing, she pounced on him and tackled him to the ground. She held his wrists down and sat on him. Merlin clapped and shouted, "Hermione darling! Let him up. He's been humiliated enough." Hermione let Arthur up and smiled largely at him. He groaned and whispered to himself, "if she weren't a girl I would Knight her on the spot." Hermione seemed to have heard because if it were possible, her smile grew. She skipped away and that's when Arthur noticed something. She wasn't wearing any shoes. Arthur's jaw dropped and Merlin walked up behind him. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "don't feel too bad. You should have seen what she did to a couple of bandits. Poor blokes never saw it coming." Arthur turned to Merlin and asked, "where did she learn it?" Merlin shrugged and replied, "some man named Severus Snape. The way she talks about him, I'd suspect he was an all knowing godly being."

Arthur got a confused look and asked, "how wouldn't you know this Severus Snape if you were living together? She is your sister." Merlin shook his head and responded, "no. We found her in the forest on the brink of death. It took her about three or four years just for her neck to heal. Even on the first day she was with us, we had a certain bond. She's my sister in _every_ way. If you tell her otherwise, you'll be lucky to get away with your life." Arthur looked at Merlin with realization and said, "that's why she can't talk? And the scarf?" Merlin nodded and said to Arthur in a proud tone, "even when she can't speak, she manages to be good at everything. She taught me sign language, a way for her to speak to me and I translate what she wants to say." Arthur felt a light go on in his head and he finally understood what the weird hand motions were. Arthur finally understood more about Hermione, but was determined to win a sword fight against her. Arthur grunted and said, "we'll have to have all of our knights tested by her. Woman or not, her fighting is on spot." Merlin beamed and Arthur threw a helmet at his manservant. "We're going another round. Prepare." Merlin groaned and the two continued training.

Meanwhile, Hermione was walking down the halls of the castle. She was trying to snoop out any magical signatures. Maybe the castle had some secret rooms or something. That lead her to sit with her back to the wall with her eyes closed and a completely relaxed expression. She focused and felt the thrum of ancient magic. It was pulling at her and she frowned. It was very unhappy magic. She focused on it, but couldn't follow a particular strand. The magic was like chaos. It all settled in certain people though. Morgana, Merlin, and herself. Hermione notices something else too. Some strands were leading to...Gaius! Her eyes popped open and she just stared at the wall. Huh. It was pretty obvious the man had magic, but why give it up?

Magic could really help make potions more potent and effective. Well, he did pretty well without it, but it can always help. She heard loud footsteps down the hall so she turned her head and checked. It was Merlin, clumping through the halls. Cringing with every step. Hermione snorted and Merlin turned narrow eyes to her. "You know, he's set on beating you now. He wanted extra practice! Thanks a lot Devil." Hermione just smiled and pointed in the direction of Gaius's chambers. Merlin sighed and they walked to the chambers together. Merlin said to her, "did you know there's a tournament going on? Something about sword fighting for a thousand gold pieces." Hermione shook her head. That tournament sounded fun. Oh, how she wished she could join. Merlin shook his head and said, "you're probably the only girl I know to like this sport more than the men."

Hermione slapped his shoulder and signed, _"you only know four girls. Mother, me, the maidservant and the King's ward. You only know the King's ward due to your mishap in her thinking you were her maidservant."_ Merlin blushed and Hermione smirked. The two walked to Gaius and Hermione sat Merlin down in front of a bowl of breakfast. "So, Merlin. How has your first day of training with Arthur gone?" Merlin groaned and said, "awful! He wanted to keep training to be sure he was ready for the tournament and I still have a whole list of chores to do!" Gaius chuckled and began to get the kinks out of Merlin's shoulders. "I have to learn tournament etiquette and armor placement by this afternoon!" Gaius smiled and said, "you should go to Guinevere for help with that. She is an expert on all things armor." Merlin hissed in pain as Gaius cracked another kink. "Yeah, well so is Hermione."

Hermione shook her head and signed, _"you need some other friends. If you just ask me for everything you'll never be social."_ Merlin groaned again and the last kink was removed from his shoulder. "You're still watching the tournament though?" Hermione nodded and went to a table she had potions set up. Merlin continued to eat his meal and the morning went on. When he was done, Hermione insisted on walking him down to Gwen's. She and Gwen had a nice friendship. Gwen found it a bit hard because Hermione couldn't speak, but she always found another way to communicate. Sometimes Merlin was present to translate and that was when Gwen got to really know Hermione.

They reached Gwen's house and she opened the door with a smile. "Hello! Come on in." Hermione and Merlin obliged and Gwen asked, "what can I help you with." Merlin cleared his throat and said, "I need help with armor. Arthur has a tournament today and I don't know what goes where." Gwen nodded and took the armor Merlin had brought. Gwen watched as Hermione signed to Merlin and he nodded. "Hermione's going to skip this visit, Gwen. She has a potion to get back to." Gwen nodded and replied, "well, I'll see you at the tournament?" Hermione smiled and nodded excitedly. She waved goodbye and left. "Merlin?" He looked up to her and Gwen continued, "does your sister ever wear shoes?" Merlin snorted and said, "she believes she can move quicker without them. She just never liked shoes." Gwen nodded and got to work showing Merlin where everything went.

Meanwhile, Hermione was roaming the streets back to the castle. She noticed the sign up place for the tournament and wandered over to it. A few of the Knights waiting in line gave her a double take because of her strange appearance, but no one called her out. She went behind the desk and peered at the register. The man behind the table took no notice to her. A man with a snake crest came up and introduced himself as Knight Valiant. Hermione's eyes widened at the amount of magic coming from him. It wasn't coming from the man though. Her eyes slid to the shield and she narrowed her eyes. He tugged the shield back and her eyes caught his. She made hers flash red and he took a small step back. The man at the register welcomed him with a smile, "welcome to Camelot."

Knight Valiant nodded and took his leave. Hermione would have to watch him. The shield could just be enchanted not to break, but when was it ever? She sat and sized up the competition. They all looked to be good, but she could already spot weaknesses. One was too large, he would try to overpower his opponents with strength and ignore speed. The one with double swords would lose a lot of shielding. There were more, but she was getting bored. The tournament was starting soon and Hermione needed to put on some shoes. She hated them, but everyone was wearing clunky boots and she did not feel like having her feet stomped on.

Hermione reached the castle and walked along the crowded halls and finally reached Gaius's chambers and breathed a sigh of relief. She walked in and Gaius greeted her. "Back so soon?" Hermione nodded and snatched up her shoes and held them up to Gaius. "Ah, well. You should really wear your shoes all the time." Hermione shook her head and sat on a stool to slip on her shoes. They really were uncomfortable, more so since she became a Demon Dog, which reminded her! She needed to go on a run soon. She was getting antsy being stuck inside all day. Living in a city where magic was illegal, really was a downer. She couldn't just go to the forest next door and go for a run without being worried of being skewered by a Knight. Although, she probably was scary enough to make them wet their pants and run. These weren't the famous Knights of the round table, so she had to wait and see.

Hermione hopped up from the stool and went over to the potion she had been working on for a while. She wanted to find a way to sooth her throat so she could talk easier. She would talk the same amount, but it would just be less painful. This was her second test. The first one made her start crying and made her throat feel like it was on fire. She absolutely hated the strange effects. So, she reavaluated and this batch would be done in a week. She had an inkling it wouldn't work because of the strongly cursed dagger, but she was trying anyways.

Gaius paid her a small amount to help him on busy days. She didn't really need the money, but it was always good to have. Hermione added some Fluxweed to her potion and let it simmer. She walked away and looked to what Gaius was working on. Looked to be pain relief, that would be helpful for the tournament. The tournament would be starting soon, she needed to get out and help Merlin not make a fool of himself. Oh yes, Merlin was very competent. He was magnificent at whatever he put his mind to, but stress was his weakness. He couldn't function when people were judging him. She was trying to fix that because he would go through many trials where he would be working under a lot of stress.

Hermione looked to the door and back at Gaius. They had to leave. Gaius was emergency medical and she was there to help. She tapped the Court Physician on the shoulder and pointed to the door. He got a surprised look and said, "ah, right. Let's go!" Hermione smiled and passed him his medicine bag, which he loaded with fresh potions. Off they went to the tournament. She found Merlin and Arthur by the tents, Merlin looking a bit frazzled and Arthur annoyed. She gave a wave to Gaius and headed over to the two. Merlin was tying Arthur's cape and it was amusing to her. She could see Arthur was getting frustrated and Merlin's nervous chatter wasn't making it any better. Merlin caught her eye and she made a motion like zipping her lips shut, locking them and throwing away the key. He shut his mouth and smiled gratefully. Arthur looked less annoyed and her mission was accomplished. Merlin handed the Prince his sword and Arthur stomped off. She chuckled silently and she walked over to Merlin. She signed, _"you did good for your first try. Just remember, the prat doesn't enjoy your humor as much as I do."_ Merlin smiled and nodded. They walked over to Gaius and watched the Knights walk out.

The tournament began after Uther's speech and to say Hermione was enjoying it would be a complete understatement. She couldn't remove her eyes from the fighters. Arthur came out and she noticed his expert fighting style. Yes, it was good, but all their fighting styles were too structured. They all resemble the form in which they had been taught, no personal spins. Hermione prided herself on being unpredictable during her fights. Arthur won every round he was in though. The other fighter that caught her eye was Knight Valiant. His style of fighting was aggressive with quick moves and fatal blows. That was also his weakness though. His fighting style was so wild that if his opponent were to use logic against him, he would fall. Call her ego large, but she was positive she could beat everyone. There were a few that would pose a challenge, but she was an analysts and a strategist. She charted their style and picked out their weaknesses. That is, unless one of them had an unpredictable fighting style like hers. She sounded way too full of herself, but she was once told that she'd only be as good as she believed she was. So, if she believed she was great, then she was. It's pure logic.

The tournament ended and Merlin went off to go help Arthur with his Armor while her and Gaius went around offering any medical help. No one seemed to want any medicine, except this burly fellow who had a nasty slice on his arm. It wasn't deep, but could get infected. They reached Arthur and Merlin where Knight Valiant was walking up to them. Hermione hurried and smoothly slid beside them. The Knight reached the three and said to the Prince, "may I congratulate you on your victories, sire." Arthur looked like he had to force the words out, "you as well." Valiant replied, "I will see you at the reception?" Arthur nodded and Valiant's eyes met hers. She flashed them red and he stepped back and walked off. She smiled ferally and Merlin snorted. "Creep."

Arthur let out a short laugh and seemed to realize that he had just laughed at a joke made by _Merlin._ "Right. You need to wash my tunic, sharpen my sword, scrub my boots, polish my chainmail, and mend my shield" Arthur stated while walking away. Merlin sighed and hung his head. She patted his back comfortingly and he looked at her hopefully, almost begging her to help him. She just shook her head and walked away. She needed to go and stretch her legs...her animal legs that is. She was just scratching for a run. She would have to go closer to the evening though, it was easier for her to blend in.

She did end up helping Merlin carry the armor and other things to his room to be cleaned. Then, she sat down beside him on the bed while the magic did its work. It was only late afternoon and Merlin was interrupted by Arthur's summon. He hadn't even gotten half the list of his chores done. Hermione believed that mucking out the stables was one of those chores. She snorted at the thought and decided for another wander around the castle. The reception was going on, maybe she could get a peek at that. Before anything though, she slipped off her shoes and sighed in relief. Her toes were finally free! She didn't understand why she hated to wear shoes all the time, but it maybe had something to do with padded feet when she was her Animagus. It was just one of those mysteries.

Hermione headed out on her walk and decided to visit the upper levels of the castle that day. It was nice out and perfect for a stroll. She knew the large castle and how to get around, but she just enjoyed the sights. Sometimes, she would wander into dreamland where she was still in the future. If they had won the war, maybe she would be an Auror or have some pish-posh paper pushing job. She would be working alongside the two boys and maybe be happy. She would have gotten married to Ron and deny her feelings for anyone else out of duty. She would have cried her nights away maybe. It was all a guessing game. She was happy to be in this era. She was happy to have the best little brother ever. She was even happy to have a lost voice if that was even possible. No one expected her to explain herself and she was just...happy!

Hermione was so distracted that she didn't see the person she was heading for. She took one step around the corner and WHAM! She kept her balance, but the other person wasn't so lucky. She heard a feminine "Hmph!" and opened her eyes. Her eyes widened at seeing the Lady Morgana shaking her head. Hermione instantly helped the King's ward from the ground and tried to convey her apologies as much as possible. Morgana just smiled softly and said, "it's alright. Just a fall, nothing hurt." Hermione smiled gratefully and Morgana returned the smile. "You're Hermione, correct?" Hermione nodded and held out her hand for the woman to shake. Morgana did so and greeted, "I'm Morgana." Hermione smiled and released her hand. She felt powerful magic underneath the porcelain skin and greenish-blue eyes. Hermione did a small tilt of her head and waved goodbye.

Morgana was left a bit stunned. She had heard of Hermione, to be honest, almost everyone had. She helped around the kitchens from time to time and just wandered around greeting everyone with a smile. Even her scarred face didn't scare folks away. The one thing that interested Morgana the most, was her inability to speak. Even without her voice, she seemed to have the ability to communicate her feelings through facial expressions or even just looking into her eyes. From what she had heard from Gwen, Hermione was the older sibling to Merlin and they had only been in the castle a month. Merlin had been appointed Arthur's manservant and Hermione was said to be apprenticing under Gaius. Morgana twisted her long black hair in contemplation and walked on her way to the reception.

Hermione had wandered away and thought about how the Lady Morgana could ever become so evil. From what she had heard, Morgana was sweet, stood up for poorer folks and even spoke against the king in some executions of magicals. It was bizarre. Then again, she'd heard of Tom Riddle's perfect, upstanding attitude when he was younger. Yes, he always had the madness simmering beneath the surface, but it has the same concept. Evil hides behind many eyes, it was just more obvious in some.

Hermione walked for a long time. She eventually reached Gaius's chambers once more and grabbed her black cloak. She could hear Gaius berating Merlin on using magic and she rolled her eyes. Yes, magic was to be held with high respect and cherished, but what was the point in having it if you could never practice it? Magic is to be used for noble purposes _and_ the user's own. It was their magic, let them use it how they see fit. Merlin was disrespecting no one and he wouldn't get caught using it in his room, but she _could_ see Gaius's point of view on things. She would just stay out of it for now.

She silently slid on her cloak and opted again for no shoes. Even if the ground was cold, it helped her move quicker. She would need to be fast and stealthy, not loud with clicking heels. She swept out of the room and crept down the corridors. She slipped her hood on and thanked the heavens that Black Shucks could see amazingly in the dark. She snuck around every guard and late night walkers. She was silent like a shadow and blended with the night. She loved the feel of sneaking around, it felt great. She reached the castle exit and took a small breath. Time to move swift. She saw no guards as she sped through the courtyard. She did however, feel eyes watching her. She quickly peered behind her shoulder to see the window to Lady Morgana's room opened a crack, but it wasn't the King's ward peering out. It was Guinevere. So, she did the obvious thing that no suspicious person would ever do and waved to Gwen. She saw Gwen wave back and Hermione sped back off. That, was probably the most logical thing any suspicious person could do. Act normal!

She reached the Darkling Woods after a while and breathed a sigh of relief. The air was crisp and light. The stars shown over and the moon offered enchanting light through the trees. It all looked to beautiful, so she slipped into the woods and started in a sprint. She made a jump and transformed midair. She landed on the ground with a thud and howled, loud and clear. Stating, stay away and you'll live. She wanted to be uninterrupted as she enjoyed her night time run.

Her run was finished at dawn and she was completely knackered. She shifted back and put on the discarded cloak she had hung on a branch close to the forest entrance. She didn't wear her scarf either. She didn't want it getting ruined. She was covered in dirt and had a large tired grin on her face. She was an odd sight. She needed to get into the castle, bathe, and meet Merlin at the tournament that was to start late morning. Merlin was probably training with Arthur at that moment. She snorted, what fun that would be.

Hermione made sure to have her hood up as she walked to the castle. She didn't have her scarf and she was filthy, she didn't need anyone staring. She swiftly moved through the halls and went straight to Gaius's chambers. She took off her cloak and slowly twisted around to see Gaius looking at her in disapproval. "Where have you been?" She shuffled her feet and croaked, "out." He rolled his eyes and replied, "well, you better get cleaned up. The tournament starts soon." Hermione nodded and disappeared through the Floo. She had installed her favorite feature in the Cave of Dreams...indoor plumbing. She didn't make anything fancy, just a shower with hot water and a toilet. She missed those luxuries and decided that she wanted them bad enough to create them. She made sure it was hidden in a secret wall so no one could ever find it.

She had finished her shower and felt absolutely fresh and clean. She pulled on a midnight blue shirt, black jacket, and black trousers. Never forgetting her scarf or dagger. She also put on her socks and boots and was ready to go. She did a tempus charm and saw she was late for the tournament. It couldn't have taken her that long to wash up! She quickly ran to the floo and accidentally stepped on Crookshanks tail on her way out. The cat screeched and she stopped and placed a numbing charm on his tail to reduce the pain as an apology. Hermione flashed out of the Cave of Dreams and appeared in Gaius's chambers in a flash of green flames. She then continued to run to the grounds where the tournament was taking place. It took her a solid five minutes to get to the tournament and scope out Merlin and Gaius. They greeted her with a smile and a smirk and she just rolled her eyes and huffed. She looked to the arena of sorts and saw Arthur battling this bear of a Knight. This man was huge! Arthur was moving swift though. Out running the guy was smart and she looked on. Forming complicated tactics in her head to bring down that beast of a man. Arthur did accomplish it though. The man fell and she and the others clapped for his victory.

Others went and then Knight Valiant came out. She paid close attention to what he was doing. She felt the magic around him stirring. It was preparing, but for what. He began to fight a skilled Knight called Ewan. Ewan was good. Maybe even better than Valiant. She could tell he was getting tired and Ewan was winning. She saw Valiant knock his opponent to the ground and block him from getting up. She growled savagely as she felt the magic flare up and snap. Her eyes flashed and Merlin held her back from killing the Knight. She sensed what he did. The shield wasn't enchanted not to break, it was enchanted to strike down an opponent! Valiant stood to get his victory and Hermione rushed over to Ewan.

She could hear Gaius coming up behind her as she checked the man. He had labored breathing, what felt like a fever and was shaking. Poison? Poison from the shield. She looked at the shield and back to Ewan. She stood up and let Gaius handle the rest. She went towards Merlin who was standing near Arthur. How long had Arthur been there? He was looking at her a bit strangely and she understood why. She had just growled like a feral dog. She wasn't supposed to be able to do that. She avoided eye intact and grabbed Merlin and dragged him away. They reached an empty space between two tents and she turned to her confused brother. She signed to him angrily, _"He has the symptoms of poison. How though? It's a sword fight!"_ Merlin thought and whispered, "couldn't he have been poisoned before the match?" She shook her head and replied, _"and be affected at the exact moment Valiant's ENCHANTED shield was over him? No."_

"The shield was enchanted?"

 _"That's what I just said!"_

"Enchanted to do what exactly?"

 _"I felt the magic snap. Which is a clear indicator for enhancements to strike down opponents swiftly."_

"He did seem awfully protective of it."

 _"What?"_

"I was in the weapons and armory and I heard a noise, like a snake's hiss. It lead to Valiant's shield and when I reached to touch it, he held a sword to my neck."

That piece of information made her want tear off the guys head. Her and Merlin took on contemplative looks and both stood in silence. She could hear Arthur calling Merlin in the distance, so she bid Merlin goodbye and went to the fountain in the courtyard. She decided to just sit and think. A problem was difficult to solve, especially when variables are absent. His shield was meant to attack, but how? She saw nothing happen, but she felt it! And hissing coming from the shield? Could have been a snake under the shield. She could understand the protective part. I wouldn't want anyone touching my shield if it was enchanted. She clutched her hair and sighed angrily. She could hear Severus in her mind yelling at her to stop being stupid and look at the obvious.

Her mind was filling and different voices wouldn't stop putting in their input. She finally just whispered frustratingly, "shut up!" Everything stopped and she put all her facts in line. Hissing, snake shield, fast strikes, and poisoning. She struggled to get the light to flicker and then it finally lit. Her eyes popped open and she noticed about six passing people giving her odd looks. She paid them no attention as she sprinted to Gaius's chambers and saw that the old man had been examining Ewan. Merlin was there and she walked up beside him. It seemed that evening was falling upon them and she couldn't explain how the day went by so fast. How long had she been thinking?

She wandered over to them and signed to Merlin, _"what is the diagnosis?"_ Merlin shook his head and answered silently, "hasn't said." She saw Gaius look to Ewan's neck and she saw the same thing he did. A snake bite. The puzzle pieces fell into place and it looked as if Merlin made estimations of his own. They looked at eachother and said simultaneously, "Valiant." The two rushed off and Gaius barely had time to understand what was going on.

Hermione and Merlin both came to the same conclusions. The snakes on Valiant's shield had something to do with all this. They ran through the empty halls and had to stop and hide, due to the fact that Valiant was carrying his shield and walking in front of them. Well that was close! They were sure that the shield would be in Valiant's room, but he had it! They silently followed him and he finally reached his room. Hermione held Merlin from moving further. They needed to wait and see if he would come back out. Hermione felt that shift of magic and motioned for Merlin to follow. The two looked through the crack in the door and watched in amazement and horror as three green snakes, rose from the shield and ate the mouse that Valiant was holding for it. The mouse went straight down the snake's throat! Merlin took a step to the side and the vase on the table beside them crashed to the floor. Valiant looked up and Hermione grabbed Merlin and lead him away. They sprinted and didn't stop until they reached Gaius's chambers.

That door was slammed shut and they hoped against everything that Valiant did not follow them. Hermione was the first to exhale deeply and step away from the door. Merlin followed and Gaius asked them what happened. "The snakes" Merlin started, "on Valiant's shield. They came alive!" Gaius looked unconvinced so Hermione nodded said croakily, "it's true." Gaius sighed and sat down heavily. "We need to warn Arthur," Merlin said. That started the argument between the two. Gaius believed that telling Arthur would be pointless because he wouldn't listen to a servant.

Merlin believed that it wouldn't matter who gave him the information, as long as he didn't end up dying while fighting Valiant. Hermione just let them work it out themselves. She thought both of them had fairly good points. Uther would completely shrug off the word of a servant and Arthur did need to know. Merlin would need proof. Sir Ewan needed anti-venom, so they would need the snake's venom. If they could get the head of the snake...well. They would need to do it the next day when all the Knights were at the banquet. They would get the head, make the anti-venom, Arthur would call a court meeting and Sir Ewan could be witness because Uther _would_ believe the word of a Knight.

Hermione came out of her thoughts to see that Merlin had stormed off to his room and Gaius was standing there like the world was weighing on his shoulders. She just sighed. Those two would never be on the same page and Hermione was always stuck between the two's views on things. Gaius shuffled over to her and said, "you go home. I'll watch Ewan." Hermione nodded and got up. She went over to the floo and disappeared in the green flames. She tiredly dragged herself to bed and only found sleep once Crookshanks snuggled up besides her.

The next morning found her caring for Ewan while the tournament went on. Gaius needed to be there for emergency reasons and she had enough experience to care for the poisoned Knight. She handled his fever and even tried some spells to help him rest. She stayed there for a few hours and happened to doze off.

Merlin and Gaius came back to see a dozing Hermione and a still sleeping Ewan. Gaius was going to wake her up, but Merlin stopped him. "Hermione doesn't sleep much, Gaius. A nap would be good for her" Merlin whispered. Yes, she did go to sleep every night, but she always had nightmares. Even if she didn't tell him about them, he could see the dark circles under her eyes. A clear indicator of her sleepless nights. Gaius nodded and checked over Sir Ewan. He looked less feverish and more comfortable, but he wasn't any better. Hermione must have done some magic. They spent a while there and soon, the banquet was in place. Hermione was still happily snoozing and Merlin decided to get the snake's venom for an antidote himself. He just didn't know how he would do it yet.

Merlin snuck out to Valiant's room and saw that it was empty and that the shield was sitting on a chair. He snuck in the room and closed the door behind him. He looked into the red eyes of the snake on the shield and felt as if it were taunting him. He looked around and grabbed a sword from the rack in the room and held it out to the shield. Merlin traced the snakes with the tip of the blade and was discouraged to find that it was completely dormant. A loud noise could be heard from the hall and he turned to the door. He could not be caught! There was no way he could explain his way out of this one.

Merlin caught something moving in the corner of his eye and heard a hiss. The snake. He swiftly turned around to see one of the snakes had been raised from the shield and was about to strike! He instinctively brought up the sword and swung it down to sever the head of the snake. He heard a thud and looked to see the snake's head on the ground and the other two raising from the shield for vengeance. Quickly dropping the sword, he grabbed the snake head and ran out. Merlin ran and ran until he reached Gaius.

Hermione was jolted awake by the slamming of a door and she instinctively got in a fighting stance with her blade out. Once the sleep was cleared from her eyes, she saw just who her blade was pointing to. She gasped and instantly dropped it. Blue eyes met red and they had a moment of silent staring. In all her life, Hermione had never pulled a blade on Merlin. Hermione called back her blade and put it back in her belt. She held out her hand and Merlin put the snake head in it. She examined it closely. It was large and covered with green scales. The lower jaw and down was yellowish orange and the fangs were almost two inches! The most disturbing part was the red eyes. If the beast was alive, those eyes could frighten a man into shock.

She handed it to Gaius to extract the venom and Hermione sighed. Merlin asked Gaius, "when will he wake up." Gaius stuck the fangs in a cloth covering a jar and began extraction. "With the anti-venom, he'll wake up early morning." Merlin nodded and replied, "I'll go tell Arthur." Before he left, Gaius stopped him and said in a tone of pride, "you were very brave Merlin." Merlin smiled and left. Hermione knew Arthur would believe him. Even if the two didn't know it yet, they trusted each other.

Merlin came back an hour later with a large smile. "There is a court meeting tomorrow morning and Ewan is to be witness. Valiant is as good as gone." Hermione smiled and signed, _"I'll stay by Sir Ewan and bring him to the meeting. Just to make sure nothing gets to him. Who knows what Valiant will try."_ Merlin blinked and said, "that is an excellent idea. You can help Gaius with the antidote." They all agreed on that perfect plan and rested for tomorrow. Hermione stayed with Ewan all night and gave Gaius a rest.

When the meeting came time, Merlin left and Hermione wished him luck. Gaius finished the anti-venom after a while and dabbed it on Ewan's lips. Ewan opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He said groggily, "there was a snake. The shield. It came alive." Gaius pushed him back down and said, "yes, we know. You need to rest." Ewan shook his head and said, "no, I must warn Arthur." Gaius pushed him down once more and assured him, "Arthur already knows. Now, they'll want to talk to you, so you need to rest. Stay here while I fetch some herbs." Ewan nodded and laid back down. Hermione moved to his side and checked his fever and the bite. Everything looked good. She turned around and Ewan closed his eyes. It was a few moments later when she heard it. The sound of hissing. She stood up quickly and looked around. She couldn't see it. She heard Ewan's breath changed and she looked to see the serpent about to strike him. She did the only thing she could think of and block the snake from biting him.

She grabbed the snake's neck and felt his fangs dig into her flesh. She screamed and Ewan shot up from his bed. She was on the floor, wrestling to get ahold of the serpent. She finally got a good hold on it and her eyes connected with Ewan. She motioned towards the door and got up with the snake. Ewan was still a bit off, but he would do his best to help. The two of them headed for the court and Ewan shoved the doors open. Hermione was starting to feel dizzy from the venom, but she trudged on. Everyone in the room gasped and Merlin looked frightened. He could see the snake and blood coming from Hermione's hand. Ewan took a breath and pointed a shaky finger at Valiant and said, "Valiant's shield is enchanted. The snakes came alive and bit me. This one" and then pointed to the struggling serpent in Hermione's arms, "came to kill me so I couldn't speak the truth." Valiant didn't know what to say.

Everyone was taking so long to do anything. Hermione made her will push into the snake's. She freed him of his ties to Valiant and felt the snakes want for revenge. So, she gave the snake it's free will and felt it's thanks to her. She got up enough of her voice and said loudly, "Karma's a bitch Valiant." Then, she dropped the snake and it quickly went through the screaming and panicking people. Valiant took out his sword and swung a bit too high. The snake bit Valiant on the leg and the Knight screamed in pain. He fell to the ground unconscious and the King tried to calm everyone down. The snake hid away to get away from the noise and in all the commotion, Hermione's vision had darkened and she fell to the ground.

Merlin saw her fall and shouted, "Hermione!" He ran towards her and everyone stopped talking and saw Merlin kneel by his sister that was struggling to breath. Gaius rushed in at that moment and gasped. Merlin said quickly, "that bite was meant to kill! We need to get her the anti-venom now!" Hermione was too stubborn to die. She would hold on. Arthur went into action and quickly picked up Hermione. Merlin and Arthur sprinted to Gaius's chambers as fast as possible with Gaius following behind them. They entered the room and Hermione was set down on Ewan's original bed while Gaius grabbed the anti-venom. Hermione's hand was clutched to Arthur's and he grunted in pain. Wow, she was strong! She was trying to breath. Everything was getting slower and she could almost feel death, but she refused to leave Merlin. She felt something being dabbed on her lips and she went blank.

The three sat in bated breath, but were completely horrified when her breathing stopped and her hand fell away from Arthur's arm. Arthur didn't think it was possible, but he could almost hear Merlin's heart shatter. Merlin dropped to his knees beside Hermione and said desperately, "wake up Hermione. Come on! You said you wouldn't ever leave me!" He grabbed her hand and whispered with a tear streaked face, "come on Hermione! Please!" She didn't move though. Merlin's face dropped and he couldn't believe it. Hermione of all people couldn't die! No! He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see a tearful Gaius. He broke down. He sobbed there and then. Arthur didn't know what to do. So, he left to let Merlin have his moment. Arthur couldn't believe it. Hermione seemed so strong, so invincible. It was just impossible.

While Merlin was shedding his tears, the two didn't see a green snake sneak up and slither up to Hermione. The snake hissed sadly. The snake didn't know why he felt attached to the human, but he felt a sense of loss in him. He slithered up to her and licked her cheek with his forked tongue. He was actually feeling. He remembered years of being under people's control, but hers was different. When she influenced him, he still had his own thoughts. He was free to do as he wished. He was influenced to be free. Merlin had stopped sobbing and looked up to see the snake on Hermione. He didn't try and stop it though. He could feel something happening. He could feel the snake's consciousness at what he'd done and...sorrow. What had Hermione done to the snake? He watched as the creature licked Hermione's lips and set his head on her's. He watched in amazement as Hermione's mouth began to twitch. She moved even more and her voice came out in whispers. Hisses and whispers and the snake moved down to her hand, to where the bite was and sunk his fangs into Hermione. Her eyes flashed open and they were blazing gold. The snakes eyes did a similar flash and it released her hand. Her eyes dimmed back to their red.

The snake released her hand and she coughed and said hoarsely, "damn. S-snake, red e-eyes, demon do-og and mag-gic. I-I'm a fucking witch." Merlin laughed and she smiled shakily. She held out her arms and Merlin launched himself at her. They hugged and completely ignored the world outside of their happiness. "Why did the snake heal you?" Merlin was curious as ever about that. He removed himself from her and he saw the snake just staring at them from the end of the bed. She signed to him, _"when I influenced him with magic, I influenced him with free will instead of controlling him. I learned a while ago, that every creature deserves a choice."_ Merlin laughed. "That's just so...Hermione." She smiled and called the snake over. He hesitantly shifted over to her and she stroked his head. She focused and said to the snake, _**"you can leave and live free or you can stay and bind yourself to me."** _

Merlin looked at her with wide eyes and she gave him a questioning look. He answered, "all I heard were hisses." Hermione's eyes widened and she said normally, "I'm a parselmouth!" She sighed. She was turning out to be your everyday evil looking witch. She turned back to the snake and she could hear it in perfect English **,"I would like to bind myself to you. You saved me from a life of endless killing and it would be my honor to be yours."** She smiled and laughed. He sounded like an honorable Knight. So, she smiled and responded, **_"then I would be honored to have you as mine. I will allow you to hunt for your food freely and be free of me whenever you wish."_** The snake nodded, an oddly human thing to do. So, she pulled up her sleeve with the blood ritual tattoo and the snake somehow knew what to do. It coiled around her arm so it's head rested on the underside of her wrist and it's long body cooled up her arm. She took a breath and chanted in parseltongue, **_"bind this life to mine. Let his will be free, but bind his loyalty. Out of trust and honor, I give my consent to bind the serpents life to me."_** In a flash of gold, and searing pain, the snake began to sink into her skin and she couldn't help, but scream. The light dimmed and Hermione caught her breath. Merlin and Gaius gasped and she looked down to see why. From the underside of her wrist to shoulder was the black tattoo of the snake. She took a deep breath to keep from panicking. It was scaled in detail and extremely good looking for that matter, but holy shit! Two tattoos? She was relieved though. She could still see her blood bonding tattoo as clear as day. It all looked good to her, but she just couldn't believe it. It didn't hurt or anything, just surprising. She flexed her arm and found that she felt nothing. Just ink. She held out her hand and Merlin helped her up while Gaius went to fetch her water.

Hermione sat and looked at the snake's head. She needed to try something. She focused on the snake and felt this weird feeling on her arm. Like goo was being peeled from her skin. The snake was raising from her skin and slithered out in front of her. She looked back and the tattoo was gone. She sighed in relief. The tattoo was only there if the snake was as well. She reached out her hand and said in English, "you need a na-ame?" The snake looked at her oddly. He probably had never had a name. She thought back to the fight in the courtroom and smiled. "Karma." Merlin snorted and Hermione smiled at him. She held out her hand to the snake and he slithered up her arm and re-entered tattoo form. Merlin stopped smiling and she looked at him. He bowed his head and said quietly, "I thought you had left me." Hermione shook her head and hugged her brother close. He clutched onto her and whispered, "I never want you to leave me." Hermione sniffed and said croakily, "then I won't." Merlin sighed and hugged her tighter.

Gaius had been there a while and watched the whole scene play out. He didn't know what to say. It was all so...special. So, he left them to have their moment. Merlin let go of Hermione and said, "what are we going to tell Arthur? You were dead!" Hermione didn't think of that. She thought for a moment and signed to him, _"tell him the antidote had a delayed reactions and my body just slowed down so much that I appeared dead."_ It was times like those when he really saw her cunning. He smiled and went off to tell Arthur the good news.

Hermione was relieved. What she didn't tell Merlin, was that she really did die. He knew, but didn't know the extent. She actually went to the afterlife and met nothing, but blank space. That is, until she saw the best thing of her life. Severus Snape came out of the blankness and greeted her in the afterlife. He hugged her and she cried and it was all a dream come true for her. He ended up telling her that she wasn't ready to die. She had cried again, out of sadness. She wanted to be with Severus. He then reminded her of a boy back in life that she promised to never leave. Her heart was torn. She loved both of them. She wanted to stay with both of them, but she knew she would need to go back to Merlin. She told him goodbye and disappeared from the world of the dead and it was all because of a loving touch laid upon her skin.

She missed Severus and seeing him made everything worth it. The look in his eyes told her he was proud of her, which was the only thing she had ever wanted from him. She would be there for Merlin, Forever and Always. Hermione got up from the floor and sat down on the cot. She just sat and thought about her life. Then, a thought came to her and she groaned. What would Crookshanks say about her house guest?


	9. Chapter 9

**Well then! I have just now realized that tattoos may not have existed back then...oops. Well, they do now!**

 **Anywho, ENJOY!**

" _Italics are sign language."_

" _ **Bold Italics are Parseltongue."**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin! Just wanted to make that clear incase you were confused…...I'm guessing you weren't.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

After Hermione had made her 'startling' recovery, some had begun to look at her strangely. Arthur, for one, always gave her calculating looks and she felt a bit off by them. The gossip mill was always working and moving in the castle, so naturally, everyone knew of her sending a snake on Knight Valiant, killing the guy. They also knew of her getting bit by the snake and supposedly dying, but there she was! Healthy and walking around the castle. She was formally thanked by the King and before Ewan left, he told her that he would be forever in her debt, Knights honor. That was something pretty big. Hermione had also been getting accustomed to having a snake on her arm.

The tattoo wasn't bothersome and her magic would tell her whenever Karma wanted to go and hunt. She would always let him off her arm when she was at the Cave of Dreams though. Crookshanks had something of a violent reaction to Karma, but they sorted it out. Which was good because she really did like both of them. When she went to sleep, Karma would slither around some part of her body and Crookshanks would cuddle up by her stomach. She prayed to anyone that would listen that she did not want anymore animals.

It had been a while since the tournament and it seemed like things just kept happening. Today was the day when another kingdom was coming to sign a treaty. Well, she was glad that Uther was doing some things right. She, however, wasn't part of any of it. Her boredom had been getting worse and she was contemplating walking around as her Animagus to make people think they were going to die. It sounded harsh, but the looks on their faces would be hysterical! That may not work though. She was pretty sure that no one had heard of the Black Shuck. They couldn't kill her either, which was good. Yes, she could be injured, but never die. Which, she wondered if she actually ever would die. What if she just stopped aging? That would be horrible. She didn't want to live forever. It sounded like torture to stand and watch everyone around her die.

Well, the banquet was that night and Hermione had been wandering through the halls after the initial meeting of the two kingdoms. She enjoyed seeing the different servants and Knights. None of them greeted her, or even seemed to acknowledge her presence. She did, however, help one of their servants carry a heavy basket of something. She got a strange look for that one.

Hermione was going to find Merlin and came across him flirting with a serving girl from the other kingdom. She needed to stop though. She blindly leaned on a wall and took a breath. That woman had such strong magic coming from her. It was such angry magic though. It held the thirst for revenge and so much pain and suffering. It was dizzying! She heard Merlin shout her name and then felt a hand on her shoulder. It snapped her out of the headache she got from experiencing angry magic like that. Her eyes flashed red and she looked up to the worried eyes of her brother. Her eyes slid to the vibrant blue ones of the servant and made her eyes go red. The servant seemed to step back and Hermione felt a growl ripped through her throat. She felt where her revenge was pointed at. It was threatening Merlin. Merlin gripped her shoulder and she stopped. Her eyes went back to brown and the servant was already running off. Hermione just stood up and looked at Merlin. She said seriously and with no emotion, "she's not your type." Then, Hermione stalked off.

Merlin was confused. Hermione had never had such a threatening reaction to someone. Except maybe Valiant and anyone who was threatening him. That was it though. She was usually calm and easygoing. Merlin shook his head and sighed. He needed to get to Arthur's chambers to help him prepare for the banquet.

Hermione had stormed off. She must have been wrong. It was just a servant girl and she did absolutely nothing wrong. Hermione needed to get out of the castle. She would just have to miss the banquet. That was alright with her though. Watching two people sign a piece of paper wasn't that interesting. Sure, it was great history, but she needed to get out.

Hermione headed back to Gaius's chambers and slammed the door. She could swear she heard the wood crack. She hesitantly looked back and saw that there was a crack in the door. Gaius would surely kill her for that. Hermione didn't know what was wrong with her! She just felt so on edge. It's like she could feel that girls vengeful magic still. The magic just felt out of place, but deep rooted. It was all so confusing and gave her a headache.

Hermione threw off her shoes and both of her gloves. She just felt so constricted in everything. She felt so claustrophobic all of a sudden. Like the hateful magic was closing in on her. She was half tempted to tear off her scarf, but that would be some scars she wasn't ready to show. She did take off her jacket though. That left her with her black long sleeve shirt, trousers, and scarf. She held out her hands and frowned at the words carved into them. Stupid Harry and his loud mouth.

Hermione stormed out of the room, passing Gaius on the way out. She was there only enough time to hear him shout at her for breaking the door…...again. She just snickered and left. She quietly headed through the halls. Passing a walkway, she lurched forward and stopped. There was that magic again. Lo and behold, it was the servant girl again. Hermione growled and she couldn't control her anger. There was just something about her magic that made Hermione so viscous. She reached out her magic and whipped the girl to the other side of the hall. There was the resounding smack of a body hitting the stone wall and it made Hermione oddly satisfied.

Hermione caught what she was doing and froze. She looked upon the unconscious servant girl and her eyes widened. What was she doing?! Just because she was on edge didn't give her the right to go attacking people. She sent a blast of healing magic to the woman and then took off back to the front doors. She wanted out. That wasn't possible at the moment because she was stopped by the Lady Morgana. Hermione stopped and tried to walk around the King's ward, but the girl said to her cheerily, "Hermione! What has you in a hurry?" Hermione stopped and could feel her annoyance growing. She just wanted to run! Despite that fact though, she put on a smile and turned to Morgana. She hated talking, but she was getting better at it. It was a lot less painful, which was good and bad. She would have to talk to people more. Ugh.

"Just, for a walk," she croaked out. Morgana smiled and stepped towards her. "How about some company?" Hermione didn't want to be rude. She just wanted to be away. Hermione shook her head and tried to say as clear as possible, "I am going, in the fo-orest. My Lady." Hermione winced at her butchering of words. Morgana just looked on a bit sadly. She saw Morgana look down to her scarred hands and gasp. Hermione put her hands behind her back swiftly, but Morgana was fast. She grabbed Hermione's hands and looked at the scarred lettering. Hermione swallowed and looked at the King's ward hesitantly. Morgana raised her head to Hermione, tears in her eyes. Hermione winced and the woman asked her sadly, "who did this to you?" Hermione swallowed and said her only answer, "lost people."

Morgana sniffed and Hermione did the only thing she could think of and hugged the King's ward. She did it with Merlin whenever he cried about seeing one of her worse scars. It was odd, but Morgana hugged her back. They just stood there in an embrace. Hermione whispered to Morgana, "don't cry for me." Morgana sniffled once and held Hermione at arms length. She whispered, "you are a strong girl, Hermione." Hermione smiled bashfully and whispered, "thank you, My Lady." Morgana shook her head and told her, "you may call me Morgana." Hermione smiled and nodded. She still felt claustrophobic, but a little bit less.

Soon, Hermione got away from the kind King's ward and ran back off on her original coarse. She rushed through town and ignored the greetings she got. She ran and ran until she finally reached the forest. As soon as she stepped into the woods, she could feel the panic of being crushed by magic decreasing. Hermione took a deep breath and smiled. She walked farther in and lifted her sleeve. Hermione rushed her magic to the snake and it rose from her skin and slithered off her arm. Big red eyes stared at her curiously and Hermione smiled. She hissed in Parseltongue, " _ **Go and have fun. Just be back here in the morning and if I'm not here, then sneak into Merlin's room unseen."**_ The snake seemed to be beaming with joy and slithered off to do whatever snake's did.

After that was taken care of, she let her red eyes shine and put her scarf on a tree branch and put a protection spell on it. Then, she broke into a sprint. The wind whipped her hair as she moved swiftly. Halfway into a leap, she transformed. Her large paws hit the ground with a thud and she howled loudly. It shook the ground and terrified all who were near. Hermione then ran and ran. She bounced through the forest. In and out of shadows. She didn't stop and she could feel the tension being released from her shoulder's. A good run was always what the doctor ordered.

Night was falling and that was when her good evening turned into a sickening one. She felt it. It wasn't just a little pang of heartbreak. It was a random shatter of her heart. She felt like her whole entire being had broken and she stopped. Only one thing went through her mind and that was: Merlin. She howled into the night and took off faster than she ever had. She used shadows and every shortcut imaginable. She didn't even care if anyone saw her. She jumped out of the woods and sped towards the castle. Hermione never even reached the town though. The demon dog watched in anger as the servant girl strutted across the land.

Hermione's howl ripped through the air as she ran and eventually slashed the woman's arm. Hermione heard a satisfying scream and shifted back to her human form. There was a sickeningly crazy smile on her face as she menacingly approached the the woman that was clutching her scratched arm. Hermione didn't notice the sting in her voice as she growled out, "you!" The woman looked to Hermione and smirked, but Hermione could see the flash of fear. "Oh! And you are?" Hermione growled and shot off a fire spell. The woman dodged it, just barely. "Someone you should not cross." The woman shouted an incantation and Hermione felt the land rumble beneath her. Joke's on the servant. Hermione was skilled. She reached her magic through the air and stopped the ground from cracking open. Everything around her was becoming just an angry mix of rage. She wanted to cause this girl pain. Hermione cackled and made a grab for the woman that dare hurt her Merlin. She wanted to feel the woman's blood run down her hands. She wanted to hear her pleas for death. Most of all….she wanted the woman to die.

It was all too fast. The woman dodged her and shouted, "no one is more powerful than me! I am Nimueh! High Priestess of the Old Religion!" Hermione cackled and smiled ferally. She didn't know where the words came from, but they were just ripped from her throat from deep within her subconscious. "I am Nyx! Ruler of the night! Master of the shadows! Mother of serpents! Protector of magic and all who practice it! I am the punisher of those who disrespect the ways of mystic arts and fear to all my enemies and you have become an enemy!"

Hermione saw the trembling fear in Nimueh's eyes and Hermione's hearing stopped. She heard a faint click on her brain and she gasped. The shadows joined her side and to Nimueh, Hermione looked like the face of death itself. Dark shadows rose from her back like wings and her red eyes blazed. The smile on her face promised death and of course there was the name. Nyx.

Every magical being had heard of Nyx. Her legend was intertwined with that of Emrys. Nyx was the balance between life and death, bottled into one being. She was the mother of serpents. The creatures meant to be the face of evil. She could control the shadows and was a hound of hell. She could bring fear to the hearts of the bravest men just from one look of her glowing red eyes. Her voice, when sparsely used could make the earth tremble. She had balance though. Her heart was protective and loving. She could make light of joy that could make even death itself smile. She had a fair judgment and was to never be tested. She was the balance of light and dark. Good and evil. Sin and good will. Life and Death. She was meant to be a legend and every magical child was told of her powers.

Emrys was a legend all magic people had heard of as well. He was to aid Prince Arthur and bring peace to the sides of magic and non-magic. In the deeper stories though, there was Nyx. Nyx, the fearsome creature, would protect Emrys and aid him in his journey. It was foretold by all the Druids that she and Emrys would be the ultimate bringers of Albion. Side by side. Their powers were those of legend and to be feared. Nimueh was out of her element. She was surprised and severely outmatched. As the High Priestess though, she would only come close to them in power, but she was not prepared. To say the least, Nimueh was frightened for her life.

Nimueh disappeared from sight and Hermione screamed. Her magic blast through the air and she fell to the ground in a sobbing heap. She could feel her broken heart. She could sense Merlin's life on hold. She knew he was alive and would be that way for a small amount of time, but he was weak.

Hermione felt a small tickle on her cheek. She slowly opened her red eyes to see the dimmer red eyes of Karma. Karma had her scarf in his mouth and had set it down in front of her. She slid it on, feeling the comfort of her old mentor surround her. The snake flicked out his forked tongue in a gesture to her tears and she broke down once more. Karma slithered back around her arm and inserted himself into it. She felt the snake's closely comforting presence and she tried to calm down.

Hermione's tears stopped as she opened her eyes up to the sky. The stars shined above her and she just stared at them. The twinkling lights made different constellations and if she focused, she could have pointed out where planets were supposed to be. Hermione took a deep breath and just gazed at the stars. She always felt better at night. The darkness always surrounded her like a blanket and the stars were just the perfect thing to calm her. A shooting star passed and even though she knew it was just a big space rock moving super fast through the sky….she made a wish. As the shooting star passed she whispered painfully, "let my Merlin be well." The star went out of sight and she just lay there. Staring. There was no use in seeing Merlin. She knew he would look like a sickly mess. She knew the remainder of her heart would break. She knew she could do nothing. Despite her big speech, old magic was powerful. She was already too late to stop the course of the poison and she maybe couldn't have anyways. Hermione had read of Nimueh in the future. The witch was a force of nature. The Old Religion was deeply rooted magic and a complete form of raw power.

She was deeply disturbed by what she had said though. It was like she was speaking from a whole different brain! Could it be true though? She had never heard of Nyx in any history book, but maybe that was because she hadn't existed in the original era. When she switched timelines, she was told that she was originally supposed to be in this time. Maybe it was time resetting, but with her in it this time.

Hermione laid there for an hour or two. She just didn't have the heart to move. It was strange though. She knew that Merlin would not die, but it would not be _her_ to save him. It was just like a gut feeling and she didn't trust gut feelings too often. She just hoped this one was right.

Hermione just stayed still until she heard the sound of a horse, running towards her. It got louder and louder. So, she slowly stood up and was just in time to jump out of the way of a speeding horse. The rider of the horse immediately stopped and rushed towards her. She was helped up and then was shocked to notice that she was looking into the face of none Arthur Pendragon. Both of their eyes widened and he released his hold on her arm. "Hermione?" She nodded hesitantly and he spluttered out, "what are you doing out here?" She pointed towards the forest and hoped he would get the right idea. Arthur just nodded and looked back to his horse. He then eyed her hesitantly and said sadly, "Merlin is not well. You should be by his side." Hermione just said with pain filled eyes, "I know." Arthur stared at her for a moment and then took her hand. He whispered to her with complete confidence, "I will find the cure and save him." Hermione looked at his hand exhaled a breath. "Thank you." He nodded and went off once more. Hermione knew he would find it. It was another one of her gut feelings, but she wanted to trust it. Hermione watched as he left and then she headed back to the castle to care for her beloved brother.

Meanwhile, Gwen and Gaius were doing everything they could to make Merlin comfortable. His fever was raging and he was struggling to breath. His face would scrunch up in pain. Gwen was rolling up his sleeves to make him more comfortable when she noticed the rash. "Gaius!" The old Physician hurried over to her and saw the rash. He gasped and hurried over to his books. Gwen asked fearfully, "what is it Gaius?" The man looked at her panickingly and said, "the rash isn't supposed to appear until the final stage!" Gwen's eyes widened. Gaius kept searching and he found that the potency of the flower could be enhanced by enchantments. Gwen pointed out confusedly, "but Bayard is no sorcerer." Gaius looked at Merlin thoughtfully. "No, he is not."

Gwen went back to rolling up Merlin's sleeves as Gaius was concentrating. When she got to his left sleeve, she saw something strange. It was a tattoo. It was a very elegant one at that. The image was placed Just below the crook of his elbow. It was a tattoo of two swirling black lines that that hooked around each other. That was odd. Merlin didn't strike her as the tattoo type. Why did he have it? Gwen called Gaius from his thoughts and he came over. She pointed to the tattoo and asked him, "did you know of this?" Gwen saw Gaius pause. He then told her quietly, "Yes, but it is not my place to tell anything." Gwen touched the tattoo and was frightened when Merlin's eyes snapped open. He grabbed Gwen's wrist and she gasped. He hoarsely called out, "Hermione." Gwen shook her head and whispered, "she's not here." Merlin shook his head desperately and said once before going back to his unconscious state, "she's always here." Merlin let go of her wrist and she jumped back. Gaius was just as shocked as she was. "Gaius." Gaius nodded and she said, "I don't think that's normal." Gaius shook his head and after a minute of tense silence, they went back to caring for Merlin.

It was maybe ten minutes later when the two came to the conclusion that it was the serving girl that poisoned the chalice. Bayard wasn't a sorcerer and Gaius suspected it was a very powerful sorceress that poisoned Merlin. Gaius sent Gwen to look for the girl and off she went. He then took over caring for Merlin and that was when Hermione rushed in the door. Gaius moved away from Merlin and Hermione sat at his side. She shakily took hold of his hand and whispered what Gaius guessed to be a spell. Merlin began to glow gold and Hermione stood up. She followed a pattern of a golden strand with her fingers and it lead to his heart. She breathed a sigh of relief and canceled the spell. Gaius didn't know what she did, but it seemed to make her relax. "What did you do?"

Hermione looked to Gaius and answered as best she could, "his magic is ho-olding off th-the po-oisin." Gaius nodded and also breathed a sigh of relief. Merlin had strong magic. He would hold on for his life. The sky was bleeding morning light by the time Gwen came back. She reported to Gaius that the girl was gone and only after did she notice Hermione sitting by Merlin's side. She was muttering under her breath, clutching Merlin's hand. The bucket of water by Merlin's bed looked to have been untouched! Merlin's fever must be extreme high by now. "He's probably burning up! Why has no one tended to his fever?" Gwen went to touch Merlin's brow and felt his skin. It was only a little warm, not like the fever she expected. Gwen looked to Hermione who was still muttering with her eyes closed.

Merlin had stopped muttering and looking closer at Hermione, Gwen could see the girl sweating and shivering. A fever? Gwen went to touch Hermione's forehead, but Gaius grabbed her hand. She looked to Gaius questionably and he simply answered, "it is not our place." Gwen didn't know what he was talking about, but she decided not to question.

They didn't know though. Hermione had connected to Merlin through their bond and had taken some of the pain from him. They were connected, which meant so were their minds. She heard in her head the frightened voice, "Hermione." She answered comfortingly, "Merlin. I'm here." She could feel his relief. Something happened though. Something was pulling at Merlin and that meant that she went with him. Flashes of images that didn't stay for long appeared. They were all of Arthur. Merlin whispered, "Arthur."

No doubt he actually said that out loud. The two linked minds watched as Arthur walked up to a crying girl. Merlin said to Hermione desperately, "that's the girl who told me of the poisoned chalice!" He could feel Hermione's rage towards the girl. The two watched as Arthur battled a fearsome beast. It looked like a lizard with two spines on its back. Hermione believed it was called a cockatrice. The lizard could stand on its two hind legs and was getting ready to pounce on Arthur. Hermione and Merlin both shouted, "Arthur!"

He wouldn't duck in time. Hermione instantly hissed in serpent's language, _**"stop beast!"**_ Her call threw him off and the lizard jumped passed Arthur. The Prince impaled the cockatrice and eventually was stupid enough to lead Nimueh into the cave with him. Merlin was frustrated. He said painfully, "It's a trap Arthur! It's a trap!" Hermione just shook her head at Arthur's idiocy. He was just weak for a pretty face in distress.

They watched in horror as Arthur hung from a ledge in the cave and they felt so helpless. Merlin muttered, "it's too dark. Too dark." Hermione watched in awe as a blue ball of light appeared beside Arthur. It swirled mystically and Arthur seemed to think it was going to kill him. Another flash of image and the spiders were chasing Arthur.

Merlin groaned, "no. Leave the flower Arthur! Save yourself." Arthur didn't seem to hear him though, because the Prince reached and got the flower. Hermione decided to brighten the ball of light, it gave the Prince a lot more seeing ability. Merlin whispered, "follow the light Arthur. Follow the light." Once Arthur was out of the cave, the images stopped and blacked out. It was like a snap of a rubber band and she was forced from Merlin. Their connection snapped and Hermione was physically pushed away from Merlin. She fell to the ground and groaned. She was happy though. She took most of the poison with her. Merlin was still deathly ill, but he was no longer on the edge of death. He needed just a few more hours and Hermione gave it to him.

Gaius rushed over to Hermione and she rolled in a fetal position. She croaked painfully, "I...took...his...pain." Gaius didn't know what she was saying. What did she mean she took Merlin's pain? It didn't matter at the moment. Now, he had two sick patients on his hands and he was in way over his head. Gwen had come back to deliver the wolfbane when the morning light began to shine. She was just in time to see Hermione curled in pain on the floor. Gwen didn't have a clue as to what was going on. She was just coming back and heard that Arthur had returned and was thrown in the dungeons.

Gaius left Hermione on the floor for the moment. He didn't have any other beds, she would be fine there for now. Gaius went over to Gwen and she told him, "Arthur has returned." Gaius breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "does he have the flower?"

"I don't know. He's been locked in the dungeons and isn't allowed visitors."

"We need that flower. Merlin is getting sicker and now Hermione is poisoned as well."

"Hermione?"

"Yes. It seems that the enchantment is more complicated than we thought. It may have undiscovered properties."

"Well, if they are both sick, then...I will just have to sneak into the dungeon and see if Arthur has the flower."

"That is very dangerous Gwen."

"I know, but we don't have any other choice."

Gwen turned away and went off to invade the dungeons. Gaius turned back to his potions and began to prepare the base of the potion to heal his two poisoned patients. Gwen came back a little bit later with the Mortaeus Flower in hand. Gaius quickly placed the flower in the base and grinded it up. Then a thought came to him. "The poison was made with magic." Gwen turned to him confusedly and he continued, "the potion may have to be made with magic." Gwen instantly got a worried look and said, "but we can't! It is forbidden. Even if we could, we would be in trouble." Gaius nodded and said, "I'll try and do without." He knew the potion needed magic though. So, he sent Gwen out for water and looked at the unfinished potion. He hadn't practiced magic in years. He knew the spell and could feel his magic begging him to use it. He closed his eyes and held the potion in front of him. He said the spell and nothing happend. Well, he wasn't really trying though. He needed to focus. Gaius inhaled deeply and said the spell. Feeling his magic respond, he opened his eyes. The potion was fizzing and was soon completed. Gaius had done it! He had used magic and it felt amazing. Refreshing even!

Gwen came back with the water and Gaius poured it into the potion. He found two cups and filled them both. Merlin would go first. "Gwen, hold his nose." She did so and Gaius forced Merlin to swallow the potion. Hermione was next. She swallowed the potion by herself and everything stilled. Merlin had stopped breathing. Gaius felt for his pulse and whispered, "his heart has stopped." Gwen brought her hand up to her mouth and Gaius embraced her in a hug. She cried. They didn't notice Hermione dragging herself to Merlin's side and reaching her fingers up to touch Merlin's. As soon as their fingers met, it was like an electric jolt. Merlin's heart started and he opened his eyes to see Gwen and Gaius hugging. The first thing that came to his mind was, "that's disgusting! You're old enough to be her grandfather."

Gwen and Gaius turned to him in surprise and they couldn't keep the smiles from their faces. "You're alive!" Merlin chuckled weakly and said, "no. I'm his ghost coming to haunt you." Gwen couldn't contain her happiness and hugged Merlin. She quickly scrambled off of him and blushed. Merlin realized that he hadn't seen Hermione and was a bit put out. "Where's Hermione?"

That was when they heard a ground out, "down h-here Dollophead." Merlin quickly looked beside his bed to see Hermione laying on the ground, looking absolutely dreadful. "You look like death itself Hermione!" She snorted and shakily signed to him, _"then you must look pretty bad if I look like death."_ He laughed and she smiled at him. _"You will kill me someday. You know that? Stop getting into trouble."_ Merlin nodded and it was all just a happy moment. Gaius went off to tell the king to not start a war and Gwen went to tend to Morgana.

Hermione had raised herself to sit on Merlin's cot and they just sat and stared at each other. Merlin sighed and said, "I felt you in my head. I could feel you taking the poison from me." Hermione looked into his blue eyes and sighed, _"I couldn't let you die."_

"Then you could have died Hermione!"

 _"Then I would have gladly died for you."_

"Why did she poison the chalice instead of just killing Arthur outright?"

 _"Because she was not trying to kill Arthur. She was trying to kill you. She knew you would drink from the chalice for Arthur."_

"Why me?"

 _"Remember the plague you helped stop a while ago? When you killed the Avank?"_

"Yes. You were visiting mum and didn't know of what happened until you got back."

 _"She was the one to start the sickness and you ruined her plans. She wanted you out of the way so she could destroy Camelot."_

"How do you know all of this?"

 _"It's common sense_."

The two sat in silence and the night went on. Both were just glad that the other was alive and well while Nimueh was plotting her next plan for revenge.


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, sorry for being gone so long, but I don't multitask and at the moment my attention is drawn to the show Criminal Minds. Ahhh, the adventures Hermione will have with the BAU. Now, I've been waiting to do this chapter! Today my friends, we meet Lancelot! Exciting right? I'm** _ **super**_ **excited!**

 **ENJOY!**

" _Italics are sign language."_

" _ **Bold Italics are Parseltongue."**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

It had only been a week since Merlin was poisoned and he was much better. He was again at Arthur's beck and call and Hermione was back to doing whatever she did. That day, they were out in the Darkling Woods, collecting herbs for Gaius. Hermione made sure to grab extra so she could do some of her own experiments. She had to separate from Merlin, though. She saw this extremely rare herb a few yards away. A few moments later, there was this terrifying screech heard through the air and Merlin and Hermione paused.

Merlin turned around just in time to see a rampaging Gryphon running towards him. He dropped his collected herbs and ran off as fast as he could. Hermione only saw Merlin run past and she knew he was in trouble. Merlin, the clumsy oaf, tripped on his own feet and fell to the ground. The Gryphon stood on its hind lion legs and Hermione was about to transform to protect her brother, but was distracted when a man ran out from the trees and swung his sword at the Gryphon!

The man was absolutely mad! He made a grab for the beast and the sword impaled it, but the creature did not fall. It did, however, give them enough time to run and that was Hermione's cue to save the two fools. She transformed into her Animagus form and let off a deathly howl.

The Gryphon stopped in his tracks and so did the two men. Merlin turned to see his sister as the Demon Dog, sizing up the beast. The Gryphon snapped his beak at her and she made a grab for the monster's throat. She missed by a hair and made to grab the Gryphon again. She didn't plan to kill it, just scare it away. The beast decided to fly off though. Hermione howled in warning to not test her again and slowly turned to the two men. She could see the man who saved Merlin as clear as day.

His hair was dark brown and was put behind his ears. It had a wave to it and fell to chin length. His eyes were also a dark brown and everything about him screamed strong and brave. His clothes were worn loose and the only weapon he had was a sword. Which was currently pointed at her. She sniffed the air and smelt the fresh scent of blood and looked at the man. He was bleeding from his left side, but was still standing strong against her. She wondered if this was to be a knight of the round table. He surely fit the description of a brave knight. She did feel threatened though. So, she lowered her head and growled. The man held Merlin behind him and raised the sword higher. His stance was perfect. Merlin pushed himself out from behind the man and just strided between them. He breathed out a sigh and said mockingly, "ladies! You don't need to fight over me."

Hermione snorted in a dog-ish way and the man gave him a bewildered look. Merlin looked to her and said, "Thank you for the save Devil, but I was in the good hands of..." Merlin looked to the man and he answered, "Lancelot."

Merlin nodded and continued, "Good hands of Lancelot." Hermione paused. Lancelot? As in Sir Lancelot? Like in the Arthurian legends? A knight of the round table! She howled excitedly and ran a circle around the two. Both of them looked confused and she stopped in front of Merlin. She laid down and she motioned with her eyes to get on her back. Merlin nodded and looked back to a pale Lancelot.

Merlin motioned him over saying, "She won't bite I promise."

Lancelot hesitantly stepped towards the large dog as Merlin hopped on her back. She was at her largest size at the moment. She found out about a month ago that her Animagus could shift sizes. She could go as small as a German Shepard and as large as a, well, as a Gryphon. She was big enough to be ridden by two people easily. Merlin helped up Lancelot and noticed the blood. He didn't call attention to it though.

Hermione raised from the ground once the two were settled and tromped off. Lancelot held on tight to the large dog. He was just so amazed by the gigantic animal that had the might to scare off a beast like that. He was also amazed by the boy that was seemingly friends with the fearsome animal. Lancelot felt a prick of pain in his side, but ignored it. Adrenaline was still rushing through him.

He asked the man that was talking to the dog, "You never told me your name."

He turned around and smiled boyishly, "I'm Merlin and this here is Devil." Devil snorted and Merlin rolled his eyes. "Don't let her looks fool you. She's a real softy. Just extremely protective." Lancelot nodded dumbly. He had now seen everything.

Lancelot was starting to feel the pain of his injury and the blood loss was making him dizzy. Devil barked and Merlin looked at her confused. Then he looked to Lancelot just in time to see him faint. Merlin caught him before he fell to the ground and awkwardly held Lancelot.

"Damn it Devil hurry it up! This guy is heavy." Hermione was internally laughing, but she did quicken her pace. They got to the border of the forest and Hermione carefully shifted back. She was just in time to help support the weight of Lancelot. She huffed and stood up straighter. She was too short for this shit. She could hear Merlin snicker so she shot a stinging hex at his ass. He yelped and glared at her. She just pointed to Lancelot and off they went to bring him to Gaius. They reached the castle with many stares and Hermione was just getting more and more embarrassed by the whole situation. Thank goodness they weren't stopped in the halls of the castle. That would have been torture. They finally reached Gaius's chambers after dragging Lancelot up the steps. That was just pure agony. Damn these muscled men! They needed to lose some weight.

After setting Lancelot down on a cot, the two fell to the floor in a heap and exhaled sighs of relief. Gaius did a check of his wound and wrapped it.

Gaius told the two, "He will be fine. He just needs some rest and then will be well again tomorrow." His reply was two thumbs up from each sibling. They were in good shape, but holy cow that man was dead weight! It took them about ten minutes to get up and after, they just went about their day. Hermione went back to the woods to get the herbs back while Merlin went to clean Arthur's armor for his next knight initiation test the next day.

The next morning, Merlin and Gaius woke to see an awake Lancelot who was extremely confused as to where he was. Merlin explained that he was in the castle of Camelot and discreetly told him to not mention that he owns a Demon Dog because he could get beheaded for that. Hermione had been in the forest all night. She had gotten distracted by some rare root that she had to carefully dig up without magic. So, she came clambering into Gaius's chambers, dirty, tired and frustrated that she forgot a shovel. She _did_ notice Merlin and Lancelot talking. Something about Lancelot wanting to be a Knight. She knew he would become one though.

Merlin turned to her walking past him and was about to say hello, but she held up a hand and signed to him annoyedly, _"Don't look at me, don't speak to me, don't even breath near me until I've had a nap and a bath."_

Merlin called after her retreating form, "You wouldn't miss Arthur's knight initiation test would you?" She paused and weighed her options. She decided that she had enough time to take an hour nap and then a quick shower. She shook her head and then stomped to his room and slammed the door.

Lancelot was left a bit stunned. That was not what he expected a Lady of Camelot to act like. He hesitantly looked to Merlin and saw Merlin looking at him closely. Merlin sighed and said, "Go on. Ask."

Lancelot cleared his throat and asked hesitantly, "Who is that?"

"That is the most fearsome creature known to man."

"What?"

"She's my sister."

"Sister? I don't mean to be rude or offensive, but she has no resemblance to you."

"I would hope not or that would be awkward."

"You are not clearing things up for me."

"Me and my mum found her when I was seven. Just, don't call us adopted. You may not walk away with your head if she overhears."

"But she's..."

"A girl? Yes. Don't tell her that though. Just try your best not to offend her."

"I will keep that in mind. You haven't told me her name though."

"Hermione."

"What a strange name. I have never heard it before."

"You probably haven't. Sometimes I think she just gave herself that name, but no! She assures me it's the name her parents gave her."

Lancelot stayed silent. He would need to find out more about this, Hermione. She sounded interesting.

Meanwhile, Hermione had plopped down on Merlin's bed and fell asleep for a while. She woke maybe fifty five minutes later, not feeling refreshed at all. She growled and got up. She hoped that Lancelot was away because she really needed to use the floo. Yes, she could use the spell she created, but she wanted the feel of a cold shower. It would wake her up.

It must have been her lucky day because Lancelot and Merlin were gone. So, Hermione floo'd over to the Cave and let Karma off her arm. The snake slithered to the heated rock she made for him and curled up. Hermione smiled and went to her glorious indoor plumbing. She showered for maybe twenty minutes before she got out to dress.

She used a drying charm after brushing her damp hair and decided to wear a dark red long sleeved shirt and black trousers. They had a guest so she did wear her black boots. Hermione finally left after sliding on her gloves, putting her scarf around her neck and slipping her dagger into her belt. She still felt like she was forgetting something though. The hiss of a snake was heard beside her and she had an 'ah ha' moment. She forgot to place Karma on her arm. She smiled at the green snake and let him slither onto her arm. After he was inserted into her skin, she gave Crookshanks a hug and waved goodbye. Hermione then disappeared through the floo.

She was glad to see that Gaius's chambers were still empty. That made it easier for her to just leave with no conversations. She exited the room and swept through the halls to the training grounds. She wanted to see this new knight they were testing. Arthur had yet to let her test one of his Knights in training and she was really hoping he would. Well, if it were possible for her to be a knight, she would. But alas, that is not even close to possible.

Hermione spotted Merlin and Lancelot chatting on the sidelines and walked up to them. Merlin spotted her and smiled. When she reached them, Lancelot held out his hand for a shake and she did so.

"We have not been formally introduced. I am Lancelot."

Hermione smiled and said as clear as she could manage, "Hermione."

She released his hand and signed to Merlin, " _Has Arthur already finished?"_ Merlin shook his head and pointed to a brute with two swords. Hermione snorted and looked at him with a face that said, "You're serious?"

Merlin nodded to her confused and she signed to him, " _This Buffoon is showing off right now with his sword swings. In combat, there is no room for showcasing your skills. He's too proud of himself and just from here I can tell he needs to be knocked down a peg. Don't even get me started on his terrible sword positioning. He's not going to have any shielding or much control with two swords!"_

Merlin had blinked at her and said, "Well, I thought he would be a good match."

Lancelot snorted and said, "Hardly." Hermione smiled smugly at Merlin and he threw his hands up.

"Another swordsman to correct my errors!" Neither Hermione or Lancelot could reply because Arthur had begun the test. Turned out, Lancelot and Hermione were right. The guy lasted five seconds against Arthur!

Merlin went off to go help Arthur and hopefully get Lancelot a tryout. That left Hermione and Lancelot awkwardly alone. These were times when Hermione wished she could speak. She _really_ wanted to talk to Lancelot, but she could only say a minimum of things without butchering it up! So, she just began to walk back to Gaius's chambers and Lancelot followed.

He cleared his throat and asked, "So, Merlin tells me that you are his sister?" Hermione nodded and he looked ahead awkwardly.

So, he asked the first thing that came to his head, "Do you enjoy swordcraft?" He was mentally smacking himself for the stupid question. Women didn't enjoy swordcraft! He looked at Hermione hesitantly and was surprised to see a smile on her face. She nodded excitedly and cleared her throat.

"I find it an intere-esting sport." Lancelot watched as she winced at her messing up her own words. It was her voice that confused him. It sounded broken almost. Like it was ripped from her and she was trying to use the pieces of it that she had left over. He wondered why that happened. Actually, thinking back to the short amount of time he had known Hermione, she didn't speak much. Well, he actually hadn't heard her voice until she told him her name.

Soon, the two reached Gaius's chambers in silence and that was alright because it wasn't an awkward silence. Just two people not knowing what to say. Hermione went to the bookshelves and plucked a book from it. She cleared off a space on one of the tables and just sat there. The book was cracked open and she was lost in her own world of literature. Lancelot had watched what she was doing carefully.

She just sat….on a table? And she was reading. Hermione actually watched his reactions to what she had been doing and understood his surprise. Woman in this era were pretty much the same. They wore dresses and some were higher up in class. They did chores and stuck to their own. While, she refused to bend to the customs. She wore clothes meant for men, didn't do a lick of chores, was educated, and enjoyed knowledge. She really was a twist in the timeline.

Lancelot went to his sword and decided to sharpen it. It passed the time as Merlin was out doing chores. Suddenly Hermione dropped her book and ran to one of her potions. She had forgotten all about it until she smelled the subtle scent of burning. She turned the burner off and scooped out a small spoon. It was too thick now. She swore loudly and it made the two men in the room look up at her a bit shocked.

She continued to mutter swear words loudly as she disposed of the potion manually. Merlin entered and heard her swearing.

He whistled and said, "Mum's going to kill you if she hears that mouth of yours!" Hermione growled and threw the potion cauldron at his head. He expertly dodged it and the remaining potion spilt on the floor.

merlin tsked at her and said mockingly, "Temper!" She just crossed her arms and sat angrily on a stool. Meanwhile, Gaius had looked on with a disapproving eye and Lancelot had stared at the whole thing wide-eyed. That was sibling rivalry? It was a bit violent.

Merlin walked up to Lancelot and he rose from his seat, expecting news on if he was allowed to try out to be a knight or not. Merlin got a down look and sighed.

"I talked to Arthur and….." Merlin looked at him sadly and Lancelot's hopeful smile dropped. That is, until Merlin smiled and said happily, "He would love to meet you!" Lancelot laughed breathlessly in amazement. His dream was coming true?

Merlin then asked as almost a side note, "You don't happen to be a nobleman do you?"

Lancelot scoffed and replied, "Me? A nobleman? Heavens no!" Merlin got a sort of nervous look.

Behind him, Gaius said, "Well that will be a problem then." Lancelot's happiness deflated and he looked towards Gaius. "To be a knight, you need to be of noble blood. Anyone with a blood status lower would be considered unworthy. It is the first rule in the knight's code." Lancelot completely deflated in his happiness. He spotted Hermione beside him and saw the anger on her face. In an unexpected moment of anger, she grabbed her dagger and threw it at the wall.

It stuck into the wood and Gaius shouted, "Stop putting holes in my walls, young lady! That's the third time this week." Hermione just growled and collected her dagger and left. Lancelot blinked at the transaction.

He then asked Merlin, "What was that for?"

Merlin looked to Lancelot sadly and responded, "Blood status is a sore subject for her." Lancelot gave him a confused look and he continued with, "When she was younger, she told me that where she lived, her blood was considered 'dirty.' So, she was prosecuted and labeled as a life that was worth less than everybody else's. So, when Gaius said only noble blood could be knighted, it kinda brought her back to that whole situation." Merlin looked to Lancelot with determination and said, "You _will_ be a knight. I promise you." Then, Merlin left with his face of determination.

It was a while later when Merlin came back with a smile on his face. Hermione still wasn't back, but Merlin wasn't worried. She could take care of herself. He walked up to Lancelot and handed him a scroll of paper happily. Lancelot took it hesitantly and opened it.

Merlin then said, "Ladies and gentlemen! I present to you, Lancelot fifth son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria!"

Lancelot was a bit amazed at the forgery, but he couldn't. Lancelot handed back the scroll and said, "I can't."

Merlin looked at him confusedly and asked, "why not?"

"Because it's a lie!"

"Yes, but only the fact that you're not a nobleman."

"Lying would be breaking one of the most important rules in the Knight's code!"

"Fine. Then I guess you don't want to be a knight of Camelot."

"I want to!"

"Then do it! The rules are wrong! You could probably beat all of Arthur's Knights! This is just you getting into the test and then the rest of it will be all you."

Lancelot thought about it. He wanted to be a knight of Camelot. He wanted to protect people whatever it took! Lancelot looked at Merlin and snatched back the scroll.

"I want to be a Knight of Camelot."

The next morning, Hermione could once again not be found. Merlin was a bit more worried, but he was busy with Lancelot. He had Lancelot measured for his cloths with the noble crest of Northumbria and he was going to meet Arthur in a few hours. They made sure Lancelot looked the part, but he still felt the guilt in his stomach for lying. It was starting to weigh him down and he felt wrong wearing a crest that did not belong to him.

While he was preparing for his try outs, Hermione was walking back to the castle from the woods. She felt refreshed and anger free. What she did was spend a night enjoying the silence and severely damaging a good couple of trees. One of the trees was set on fire, some were blown to bits, others were just punched until they fell. Her knuckles were bleeding, but she didn't care. It felt good to let out her pent up anger. She let Karma do some hunting, did some hunting herself and then slept under the stars. She was back to see how the progression on Lancelot's knighting process was going. She knew Merlin probably thought of some half baked scene that was foolish. The idiot boy would need some help on being sneaky.

When she was heading into the castle, she passed the training grounds and saw the figures of Merlin, Gwen and who she assumed was Lancelot. Why was he dressed in the crest of Northumbria? Merlin! The idiot! How could he think the plan would work for longer than a day or two! Didn't he know that King Uther and Lord Eldrid are old time friends? He could have at least picked a lower class nobleman! Hermione was too late to stop him though.

Arthur had already taken the seal of nobility and read it. She was coming up to them and saw Arthur slap Lancelot and the man stumbled to the ground. He was testing Lancelot's reflexes and he failed. Hermione kept walking though.

Lancelot rose from the ground and she was close enough to hear Arthur tell Lancelot, "Well then. Go clean out the stables." He then turned to work with his knights. Lancelot looked let down and confused while Gwen and Merlin were smiling for him.

Hermione slid up beside him and whispered, "You're ma-aking pro-ogress." Lancelot jumped in surprise and she just smirked. She said clear as day, "get to cleaning stable boy!" Hermione then silently laughed and walk away. She could hear Arthur snickering and she turned her eyes to him. He stopped his amusement and turned back to his men.

Hermione walked up beside Arthur and he nodded to her. She pointed to one of his Knights that she noticed was doing better than the rest and whispered, "He needs to be on the fro-ont li-ines."

Arthur watched the man train and whispered back to her, "I was thinking about it." She smirked and nodded. What she was really doing was trying to get him to listen to her. She cleared her throat and used a trick for speaking clearly that she had learned. If she used her magical vocal chords from her canine and snake ones and mixed it with her damaged ones. She could talk a bit longer.

So, she cleared her throat once more and asked, "Sire?" He looked to her and she asked, "Can I test Lancelot for his final test?" Arthur could tell that she really wanted to. She had said the sentence croakily, but clearly and he could see the desperation in her eyes.

He sighed and whispered to her, "I'll think about it." She smiled brightly and gave him a swift hug and then skipped off happily. Arthur shook his head and thought to himself, 'Where on earth is this girl from?'

Hermione had slipped to the stables and watched as Lancelot began his work. She enjoyed tormenting Merlin when he worked, so maybe it would be fun to torment Lancelot. So, she just sat there staring and on occasions would secretly conjuring more mess for him to clean up. It was fun watching him look confused when he saw another mess that he was sure he had already cleaned. Since he was getting frustrated on this one stable and it was just too fun to mess with him, she cleaned the other stables with subtle magic.

She finally let him finish when it began to get dark out and he sighed in aggravation. He stumbled out of the one stable and looked at the others one by one. He had the most confused face and she couldn't help, but let out a snort of amusement. He turned to her before she could run away and she instantly put on her most innocent look. It didn't look like he believed her.

"Hermione" he drawled suspiciously. She looked at him and pointed to herself as if asking if he was talking to her. He rolled his eyes and stepped closer to her and asked, "Did you do this?" She shrugged and decided to change the topic quick. She took a large step back and pinched her nose while fanning the air in front of her.

"Yuck! Bathe Sir Stinks-a-lot!" She cackled and skipped away.

Hermione reached Gaius's chambers first and disappeared through the fireplace before Lancelot could come back. She greeted Crookshanks and headed straight for bed after changing into her pajamas. She let Karma off her arm and snuggled up in bed. When she was all settled, Crookshanks curled up by her stomach and Karm decided that her leg was a great place to coil around and sleep. She huffed and closed her eyes. Two animals was more than enough.

It was a good night for her. She only woke up from one nightmare and was able to sleep in. She remembered that Arthur was going to test Lancelot again and didn't want to miss his test, but she knew she would be late. She scrambled from bed and had Karma place himself back in her arm. She skipped the shower and opted for her homemade cleaning spell. She slid on a dark blue longsleeve shirt and another pair of black trousers. She slid on her brown belt and brown boots.

Then, on went her light fabric gloves and her beloved scarf. She did put her hair up that day, which she hated doing. It exposed more of her scars. It was hot out though. Hermione left the Cave closer to noon and as soon as she stepped in on the other side, she heard the warning bells.

What happened?! She could hear panicking screams and Gaius was gathering potions. She grabbed her own bag and then some potions and then Gaius briefed her on what happened. A winged monster had attacked a village? He told her that it took no livestock, only people. She shivered. This sounded like one distressed animal. She knew they would try and kill it, but she really didn't want to see the animal die. She just wanted to know what had caused it to become so violent!

Hermione and Gaius rushed down to the town square and saw the mass of people coming in the gates of Camelot. Most of them were burned and had gashes.

Hermione told Gaius quickly, "I'll get the childre-en first, then get the adu-ults." She rushed off and Gaius did as she said. She narrowed down her search of gravely injured children and went to them first. She healed babies with smoke inhalation and broken bones. Some were burned and others were already dead when she got there.

She reached one little girl that was sitting on the ground, huddled in a ball and sobbing. She had seen Lancelot and Merlin come into the square and greet Gaius, but she was focused on this little girl. She was badly injured with burns and some broken bones. Her parents must have been killed.

Hermione slowly walked up to the little girl and talked in the softest voice she could manage, "Hey there, sweetie." The little girl who couldn't be more than seven years old looked at her with frightened grey blue eyes. She tried to move away from Hermione, so Hermione did the only thing she could think of. She needed to make herself look less intimidating. She slowly sat on the ground and took off her scarf and gloves to reveal her scars. She was trying to appeal to the frightened girl by showing her that she had been hurt too. The girl stopped moving and stared at her scars. Hermione looked back and forth and then made her eyes go their comforting red color that had calmed Merlin all those years ago.

The girl's eyes widened, but didn't look away. Hermione said softly, "I know how you feel sweetheart. I won't hurt you." Her voice was becoming harder to use and the girl sensed her pain. She hesitantly came closer to Hermione and Hermione smiled softly. "I ju-ust wa-ant to help you." The girl had reached Hermione and the girl raised her hand to Hermione's neck scars and touched them.

The girl asked frightened, "Were you scared?" Hermione nodded and held the girl's hand.

"I wa-as." Hermione cleared her throat and was determined to say what she wanted to. "But this nice woman he-ealed me and took care of me. You see-e him," Hermione pointed to a starstruck Merlin and turned back to the girl. "He was the son of the wo-oman that healed me and no-ow, we are siblings."

The girl looked at Hermione with tearful eyes and said desperately, "I want to be healed."

Hermione nodded and whispered, "I will heal you i-if you let me." The girl choked out a sob and jumped in Hermione's arms. Hermione held the little girl as she cried and made healing magic flow into the girl, making her pain dim. The girl released her and Hermione still held her on her lap. Hermione grabbed her medicine bag and took out her very own recipe for burn paste. She dabbed it on the burns that were on the girl's arms and face.

She needed to tell the girl, "I am go-oing to he-eal your leg. It will hurt." The girl whimpered in fear, so Hermione held the girls had and whispered, "sque-eze my ha-and." The girl did so and Hermione used her magic to numb the pain as she snapped the girl's leg into place. The girl cried out and squeezed Hermione's hand.

Hermione smiled at the girl and brushed her golden hair away from her burnt face. Hermione whispered painfully, "Wha-at is your na-ame?"

The girl whispered, "Lily."

Hermione smiled and said, "Such a beautiful na-ame."

The girl giggled and asked Hermione, "What's your name?"

Hermione answered, "Hermione."

The girl looked at her with adoration and stated, "That is the prettiest name I have ever heard." Hermione smiled and brushed the girl's tears away. Her throat was absolutely on fire, but she continued to talk as her magic slowly healed the girl. "Are you're pa-arents here?"

The girl frowned sadly and tears gathered back in her eyes. "I don't know."

Hermione held the girl closer and she asked, "Where are your parents?"

Hermione smiled sadly and whispered, "Gone." Lily wiped a tear off of Hermione's face and Hermione smiled.

The girl asked another question. "Why are your eyes red?"

Hermione smiled again and answered, "because I like the-em that color."

The girl gasped. "You can change your eye color?" Hermione nodded and made her eyes turn a vibrant purple. Then pink, then green and then the color of Lily's eyes.

Lily giggled and Hermione's eyes turned back to red.

Lily whispered to Hermione, "Do you have magic?" Hermione nodded and the girl gasped. She leaned closer to Hermione and whispered, "I won't ever tell. I promise." Hermione grinned and looked at the girl's burns. They were looking a lot better. Hermione couldn't leave her there. So, she would take her with her until they knew if her parents were alive or not. Hermione told the little girl just that and she nodded. Lily handed Hermione back her gloves and scarf and watched as her eyes changed back to brown. Hermione stood up and held her hand out for Lily to hold. Lily took her hand and walked with her. Hermione had healed her leg completely so she could walk fine.

Hermione lead Lily over to Merlin and Lancelot and Lily hid behind Hermione as they reached them. Hermione got down to Lily's level and whispered, "Thi-is is my bro-ther. Watch."

Hermione raised her hands and signed to Merlin, " _This is Lily. She's frightened and you need to take care of her while I help more people."_ Lily seemed amazed when Merlin nodded and knelt down to Lily.

Lily hid behind Hermione again, but Merlin told her softly, "I'm Merlin. You saw what Hermione did with her hands?" Lily nodded and Merlin continued. "That's a way for me to talk to Hermione without hurting her voice. Would you like me to teach you?" Lily looked wide-eyed at Hermione and Hermione nodded.

Lily squeaked out a "Yes" to Merlin and hesitantly stepped towards him.

Hermione signed to Merlin, " _Tell her I'll be back."_

Merlin looked at Lily and said, "She said she'll be back. Can you wait with me while she helps the others?" Lily hesitantly nodded and released Hermione's hand. Hermione went off to help more people and Lily sat in front of Merlin while he taught her sign language.

Merlin and Lancelot had seen Hermione's kindness towards the girl. They watched as she removed her scar coverers and watched her hold the girl. She was so sweet and gentle with her and Lancelot wondered if she was like that for Merlin when he was younger. It was just unexpected coming from a person that he had only seen the emotions of anger and hilarity from.

Merlin was just amazed at how loving his sister was. He knew how caring she was, it's just that he missed it. It had been years since he was small enough for her to hold him and it was just bringing him back to earlier years.

He and Lily practiced sign language with Lancelot added to the group. He wanted to learn what it was all about. Lancelot and Merlin weren't the only ones to watch Hermione's kindness towards the girl.

Gwen and Morgana had been helping the injured as well and had seen Hermione with the little girl. They were also amazed to see her take off her scarf. They had never seen her without it and were horrified to find what lay beneath. Lancelot, Morgana and Gwen had seen the ghastly scars on her neck and all held pity for the sweet and strong willed Hermione. Merlin was just grateful that they hadn't seen Hermione's eye color changing trick.

Hermione soon came back with a bucket of water and a rag. Lily hopped from her seat on the ground and hugged Hermione tightly. Lily released her and Hermione lead her back to Lancelot and Merlin. Sometime during her trip, Gwen and Morgana had joined the group of learning sign language.

Hermione was surprised and completely amazed when all of them signed to her, " _Hello_." She had smiled brightly and waved back to them. It was odd, but there the group sat. Hermione sat Lily down in front of her while the rest of the group chatted. She held out the rag and began to clear the dirt from the girl's face with utmost care. Hermione smiled as Lily's skin was cleaned inch by inch. Then, she washed the girl's arms and hands and her face especially.

When she was done, she said softly, "And what a beautiful li-ittle girl, Lily Flower." Lily blushed and the group was still amazed by Hermione's softness towards the girl. None of them besides Merlin had seen Hermione's soft side.

When all the dirt and soot was removed from Lily's skin, it was clear at how beautiful Lily was. Her hair curled down to her shoulders in soft golden waves. Her skin was tanned and her freckles were clear. Her eyes were a captivating shade of greyish blue. She had soft pink lips and button nose. The burns were disappearing due to Hermione's magic and the girl just looked like a ray of sunshine. Hermione looked to her bag and then opened it. She pulled out a silver clip that her mother had worn once and looked at it. It was shining silver with jewels that formed the shape of a lily, very fitting. Hermione took a piece of Lily's hair and clipped it back with her mother's clip. She looked at the girl and stroked her hair.

"It was my mo-other's. You look as beautiful wi-ith it on as she di-id."

Lily softly touched the clip and looked at Hermione with wide eyes and asked quietly, "You want me to have it?" Hermione nodded and Lily pounced on Hermione in a hug. Hermione laughed and hugged Lily back. The group around the two were almost melting with the sweetness of it all. Hermione looked at Merlin and he smiled. This all reminded him of their first meeting. Hermione had given Merlin her father's neckerchief which he wore everyday and now her mother's clip had gone to another little girl she felt a connection with.

Merlin sighed and told her quietly, "I bet you do this to all the little kids you meet." Hermione rolled her eyes and flatted out Merlin's neckerchief with care. She really was just a big softy.

Morgana and Gwen left and it was then just Merlin, Lancelot, Lily and Hermione. Lancelot had fallen asleep and Merlin sat beside Hermione. Lily was napping on Hermione's lap and Hermione was stroking her hair. It was only a little later when Gaius came up to them, followed by a man and a woman. Hermione blinked and could guess what they were there for.

The woman had her hair tied back, but Hermione could see the golden curls. Her face was kind with a bit of chub to it that made the woman seem all the more kind faced. Her clothes were tattered and ruined, but she stood tall with dignity even when her height was short. Hermione looked into her eyes and saw a sparkling blue.

Hermione looked at the man and saw that his hair was cut close to his head, but was still blonde. He stood tall and strong beside the woman who was obviously his wife. When Hermione looked in his eyes, she saw a replica of Lily's greyish blue colored eyes. Hermione looked down at a still slumbering Lily and felt a bit selfish.

She wanted to keep the little girl, but Hermione knew that she couldn't. Gaius motioned for Hermione to come over and she did. Hermione managed to move without waking Lily up and shifted the girl to her hip. Gaius left with a pat on Hermione's back and she smiled at him sadly.

The woman held out her hand and said with a soft melodic voice, "I'm Amora."

Hermione shook her hand and then shook the man's outstretched hand as he greeted her as, "Elfric."

Hermione released the man's hand and introduced herself softly as, "Hermione."

Amora looked to Hermione with tear filled eyes and said, "We thank you so much for taking care of our daughter. We don't know what we would have done if she were gone." Hermione smiled softly and nodded. She gently woke Lily and pointed to the girl's parents. Lily jumped out of Hermione's arms into the outstretched ones of her father. Hermione watched as the family hugged and cried and she slowly moved away. She was stopped when she felt a tug on her hand.

She looked down to the desperate eyes of Lily who whispered, "Please don't go." Hermione could feel tears coming from her eyes as she picked up Lily and looked at her teary eyed parents. She walked over to them and handed Lily to Amora after a tight hug from Lily.

She looked to the group and said as best she could, "I wa-ant you to go to the village of Ealdor in the land of Essetir and find a wo-oman named Hunith. She will give you shelter for as lo-ong as you need. Te-ell her that her daughter Hermione sent you." The family looked to her with the most thankful faces. Amora spotted the clip in Lily's hair and then looked to Hermione with wide eyes.

"You gave this to Lily?" Hermione nodded and kissed Lily on the forehead.

"A beautiful cli-ip for a beautiful girl." The family was beyond grateful and amazed with this kind girl. Elfric enveloped Hermione in a tearful hug. As did Amora and the family soon left. Hermione said one last goodbye to Lily.

"Goodbye my Lily Flower." Lily waved to Hermione and they left.

Hermione sniffed and felt arms wrap around her.

She looked up to see Merlin's concerned blue eyes. He asked her softly, "Will you be alright?" Hermione nodded and turned around and hugged Merlin. They stood there in each other's embrace for a while and Hermione was finally released Merlin.

She signed to him, " _I love you."_

Merlin kissed her forehead and said back to her, "I love you too."


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I'm really getting into Criminal Minds. I'm on the last season on Netflix. So, expect more frequent update! Thanks for your patience and don't forget to review!**

 **ENJOY!**

" _Italics are sign language."_

" _ **Bold Italics are Parseltongue."**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

Hermione would be lying if she said that she didn't miss Lily. She had only known the little girl for two hours at the most, but she made a lasting impression. One thing that excited her was the fact that Lancelot's test had been moved up and she was testing him. Neither Merlin or Lancelot knew that Arthur had given her permission to test Lancelot's skills. She would not let him win, even if she wanted him to be a knight. All he had to do was stay fighting for a minute. If Arthur couldn't beat her, than Lancelot surely couldn't. She would wear armor that Gwen had made for her a while ago. It looked just like the men's so Lancelot wouldn't know it was her. If he knew he was fighting a girl, he would try and go easy on her and that would be stupid. Plus, it would be fun to see the look on his face!

Hermione went out to the training grounds early and met Arthur there. He helped her put on the armor and told her the rules.

"You must get him at sword point on the ground. Either unconscious or not. He needs to submit if he is conscious. He will need to last one minute or to get you down." Hermione nodded and saw that the Knights had begun to show up. She slipped on the helmet and made sure her hair was hidden away.

Arthur placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Try to leave him alive." Hermione snorted and walked out to the field. She stuck her blade in the ground and placed her hands above it. She was ready to face the best swordsman in Camelot.

She saw Lancelot, Merlin and Gwen come out and all three paused at seeing her there. Once everyone was settled, Arthur stepped out in between her and Lancelot.

He spoke to the group of people, "Today, Lancelot of Northumbria, you will be facing one of my best and bravest Knights." Hermione had to restrain herself from jumping for joy in being called a knight. The Knights looked confused because they had never seen this person before. Lancelot was taking a breath of relief because he would not be fighting Arthur. Maybe this knight would be easy? He was smaller than normal.

Arthur told them all the rules and then went over to the hourglass. He looked to the two as both got in fighting stances.

"Your time starts…...now!" Hermione waited for Lancelot to hit. The two circled each other for a time and she saw Lancelot lose his patience. He charged at her head on and she side stepped, using his momentum against him. She tripped him and he rolled to the ground. She swung her sword at him as he rolled up from the ground. Their swords clashed together and they fought. Hermione knew they were over thirty seconds and all she needed was one hit. Lancelot hit her to the ground and she was glad her helmet didn't fly off.

He held a sword to her neck and asked, "Do you submit?"

Hermione ground out deeply, "Never." She kicked the sword out if his hand and rose from the ground while he went to retrieve it. Their fight began again and she was too into the fight. She threw her sword in the air and while Lancelot thought she dropped it, he charged at her supposedly defenseless form. She did another sidestep and stomped on his foot and kicked the back of his knee. She caught her sword as he buckled and held it against his neck while her knee was in his lower back and his hand were restrained. He had nowhere to move.

Lancelot sighed in defeat and said, "I submit." Hermione impaled the ground next to his head with the sword and rose from his back. She helped him up and he looked at the ground sadly. That is, until people began clapping in awe at his fight and Arthur stepped up to him.

"Congratulations Lancelot!"

Lancelot looked confused and Arthur said, "Remember the rules? You lasted a minute against the best in Camelot. I cannot even beat her."

Lancelot's eyes widened and he asked bewildered, "Her?" Hermione removed the helmet and she could see everyone's surprised faces at who lay beneath the armor. She smiled smugly at them all and looked to Lancelot. He had dropped his helmet in surprise and was staring at her wide-eyed and slack jawed. Only one thing could be heard through the dumbfounded silence at that was the sound of Merlin's laughter.

He walked up next to Hermione and said to Lancelot seriously, "Don't feel bad. Arthur couldn't even last fifteen seconds against her." Arthur blushed a bit and cleared his throat.

"Well then Lancelot! You'll be a Knight my friend! For you passed the ultimate test." People began to clap again and Merlin lead Hermione to the sidelines to help her remove her armor.

As Merlin helped her, Lancelot had come over to her and asked amazed, "Where did you learn to fight?"

Hermione looked to Merlin and he answered for her, "Severus Snape." Hermione smiled with pride as she removed the chainmill. She breathed a sigh at the weight being removed from her and smiled at Lancelot.

"Thank you" she told him.

He stuttered, "What for?"

She did a quick sign to Merlin and he answered, "For giving her someone to spar with. No one wants to fight her because she's a girl." Lancelot nodded. To tell the truth, if she asked to spar with him before, he wouldn't have. Hermione was finally free of all the armor and she groaned and rolled her shoulders. She would need some potions for that. Lancelot was a heavy hitter. She smiled at him once more and shook his hand.

"Until the next time." Then, she skipped off.

Lancelot looked to Merlin and punched him in the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me your sister was an expert at this?"

Merlin rubbed his shoulder and said as if it were obvious, "You wouldn't have believed me!" Lancelot guessed Merlin was right. He just sighed and thought of the humiliation of being beat by a girl that was four sizes smaller than him!

Lancelot was knighted and festivities were held for him. Hermione attended all the ceremonies and got many calculating looks from the king. At the end of the party for Lancelot, Uther approached her.

She did a small bow and greeted him, "Sire."

He nodded to her and asked quietly, "Is it true that you have won in fights against both Sir Lancelot and my son?" Hermione hoped she wasn't in trouble for that.

She nodded and the king continued, "Who taught you?"

Hermione cleared her throat and replied, "Severus Snape." Uther looked at her with something akin to respect and she was internally jumping for joy.

He nodded to her and said quietly, "I will think of a way for you to put your talents to good use." Hermione beamed at him and bowed once more.

"Thank you sire." Uther dismissed her and she left. She was so excited!

The next morning was a disaster though. Lancelot was taken away because of the King finding out his lie. Hermione just knew it wouldn't last long. The worst wasn't that though. The worst was the beast that was attacking the other villages had come to Camelot. Hermione was just helping Gaius in some brewing when she heard the bells that signaled an attack. Then a deathly screech was sounded and Hermione couldn't help, but feel the anger in the creature. She had told Gaius it was a Gryphon and that they were protective creatures and someone must have threatened it to make it this angry. Gaius just believed that the thing needed to be killed.

Hermione and Gaius rushed through the castle and Hermione knew that she needed to do something. Arthur and his men were trying to shoot down the creature and that wouldn't work! Hermione sighed and found an alcove. She transformed into her Animagus in small size and then when she was out of the castle, she grew to her Gryphon size dog form. She made sure the Gryphon knew whose territory it was stepping into. She let off a deathly howl and it seemed that the commotion stopped dead in its tracks. Arthur's men turned their attention to her and he couldn't believe his eyes. There, in broad daylight was a creature that sent chills down his spine.

Everyone's panic started up again at the thought of two beasts coming to destroy them all. Arthur's men were way out of their element, but their attack split between the dog and the flying beast. They were amazed when the gigantic hound payed them no mind and instead, threatened the Gryphon. The Gryphon landed and the two creatures stood in threatening stances.

The hound lunged at the beast and managed to get a good grip before the Gryphon got free began to attack the dog. It was a gruesome match and both turned out injured, but the Gryphon ended up flying away. They knew that it would return, but now, their problem was the huge dog. They turned their weapons to it. Waiting to see if it would attack. The dog just plopped on the ground in a tired heap and they all just stared as it shrunk to a smaller size. The once panicked people were staring in awe at the animal that was just as big as a horse now. They watched in curiosity as a little boy got free of his mother's hold went up to the injured animal. The boy hesitantly reached a hand to the hounds fur and the dog stilled. The thing that happened next amazed them all. The dog licked the boys face and he giggled and continued to pet it. Little children began coming up to pet their savior and the dog looked to be enjoying all the attention.

All too soon, the dog removed itself from the children and ran off towards what they believed was the Darkling Woods. Well…...that was one beast that they did not have to worry about.

Hermione stumbled into the woods and transformed back. She breathed a sigh of relief and saw that she didn't have any major injuries. Just a few scratches. She healed the scratches and looked around. She needed to find the source of that Gryphon's anger. So, she sat and focused on the magical signature of the Gryphon. It took her maybe half an hour until she could pick out the Gryphon's signature. She turned into her dog form and followed it. It was hard to pick one of the paths, but another thirty minutes passed and she came upon a cave. The heard small noises from it and figured that this must be where the Gryphon was. She transformed back to a human and removed her jacket, gloves, scarf and shoes. She needed to look as non threatening as possible. Just like she did with Lily. Hermione then climbed up the small wall to the cave entrance and peaked in. She could see instantly why the Gryphon was so angry.

There in the cave was a tiny lump of fur and feathers. Hermione hesitantly stepped forward, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Hermione released calming and trusting magic and made sure she shone her red eyes. It looked up at her with dark eyes and Hermione slowly sat on the cave floor. Hermione held out her hand for the baby Gryphon and it looked just curious enough. The Gryphon moved closer to her and sniffed her hand. She extended her fingered and stroked the little one's feathers. It moved closer and closer and was finally right in front of her.

Hermione patted his eagle head and he head bumped her chin. She chuckled and looked him over. There! On his front eagle legs were rope marks. Looks like he was captured and the mother got him back. She must be taking out her anger on any people close to where her baby was taken. Hermione used some healing magic and healed the rope marks. The Gryphon squawked and jumped around her. Hermione laughed and looked outside. It was night time then and Hermione hoped the mother would come back. In the meantime, Hermione would take the little critter out for some food. Hermione stood up and looked to the hyper Gryphon that wouldn't stop hopping around. She laughed and scooped up the grey and white feathered creature. He squeaked and she snuggled him to her.

"Can you fly yet?" He didn't seem to hear her because all he did was curl up closer to her. She shook her head and began her descent from the cave. Once she reached the bottom, she set down the little Gryphon and put her scarf, boots, and jacket back on. Then, she looked around for her gloves, only to see them in the mouth of the little Gryphon. She rolled her eyes and tried to grab the gloves, but he swiftly moved away from her.

"Give the-em back." She made another grab, but he evaded her. Hermione and the Gryphon chased each other for a while until she finally just summoned them.

She sighed as she slipped on her gloves and said, "You're as fa-ast as a Nimbus 2000!" Then she paused and looked at the little ball of energy. She shouldn't. She should not name the little guy! Oh, but she couldn't resist!

She looked to the little Gryphon and said, "Your na-ame is Nimbus." Little Nimbus did a sort of chirping sound and hopped into her arms. She caught him with grunt and sighed. She prayed for no more animals, but did the world listen? No!

Hermione and Nimbus walked for a bit. Just looking for maybe a mouse, but it was too dark. She put Nimbus down and got his attention. She snapped her fingers and a blue flame appeared. Nimbus jumped back in fright and she waited in bated breath. Then, the little guy pawed at the flame with his talons and tried to bite it! She laughed and just made the flame float through the air. She picked up Nimbus again and off they went. They walked for a little bit longer when they heard it.

The sound of a deathly screech. It just cut off though. Nimbus had paused all movement and looked to her with fear filled eyes. Hermione ran. She ran and ran until she reached where the noise was heard. There, on the ground was a barely alive Gryphon and two celebrating men. Looking closer, she saw that it was Lancelot and Merlin.

Hermione choked and held the Gryphon closer. The two turned around and saw her. Hermione caught Merlin's eyes and hers were flickering red. He stopped smiling, for he knew that what they had done was nothing to celebrate. Lancelot had stepped back from her frightfully.

Her eyes were blazing red as she whispered painfully, "What have you done." Merlin flinched and she walked over to the dying mother. Hermione let the baby go and he desperately tried to get his mother to move. Hermione knelt by the large Gryphon and looked into it's fearful eyes.

She whispered, "I will take ca-are of him. I promise." She could see the understanding in the mother's eyes and Hermione rested her hand on her beak.

"I pro-omise." Then slowly, the Gryphon passed away. Nimbus screeched in agony and lept into Hermione for comfort. Hermione turned back to the now regretful two and stood up. Her anger was flaring. Merlin knew better! She had taught him from a young age that everyone deserves a chance. All he had to do was look deeper. She clutched the Gryphon to her chest and walked over to them almost eerily.

"Do you know what you've done?" Merlin stepped back fearfully.

"I'm sorry." Hermione put Nimbus on the ground and advanced on the two fools. She grabbed Merlin's neckerchief and pulled it off. He choked and looked at her with eyes of complete defeat. Hermione felt pain when speaking, but never stopped or stuttered.

She held the red neckerchief up to Merlin and said lowly, "Do you remember who's this is?" Merlin swallowed and shrunk back.

"Your father's."

"Yes, do you know what happened to him?"

"You never told me."

"He was taken from me! Just like you did to this poor little Gryphon!"

"I'm sorry Hermione! I didn't know! I'm sorry!"

"Apologies won't bring back his mother! Apologies won't bring back my parents. Apologies are nothing! I taught you since you were a little boy that every life has meaning! Even if you can't see it! You don't deserve to wear something from such a great man!"

"Hermione! Please!"

"YOU DESTROYED A LIFE!"

Merlin dropped to his knees in front of her and sobbed. "I'M SORRY! I should have listened. I should have learned. I want to be worthy of wearing something so important! I WILL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE IT BETTER!"

He sobbed on the ground and everything else was silent. Hermione had tears streaming down her face and she exhaled. Her throat hurt so much, but she was too angry to notice. Nimbus came up beside her and nipped at her fingers. She looked down to him and saw his eyes. He was frightened. He wanted comfort. Her anger wasn't helping.

She knelt down in front of Merlin slowly and lifted his chin. She saw the mess he was. She looked and found complete and utter loathing of what he'd done.

She wiped his tears and whispered, "You can't make it better, Merlin." A few more tears slid from his eyes and she wiped them away. "What you can do, is search yourself and evaluate what you can do to make a better choice next time." He sniffled and Hermione reached for the fallen neckerchief and tied it back around his neck.

She straightened it and told him softly, "A bad decision doesn't make a bad person, Merlin. It was wrong of me to use it against you. You _are_ worthy of it. You just need to have a long and hard discussion with yourself and think about what you have done." He looked down to the neckerchief and back up at her.

He told her brokenly, "I want to make peace." Hermione nodded and gave him a hug.

When they released, she pointed to the dead mother Gryphon and said, "Go make your peace." He nodded and went to the mother and knelt beside her with his head bowed. What she didn't expect was Lancelot following Merlin's actions and saying his peace to the mother. Hermione picked up Nimbus and held the grieving Gryphon.

What they didn't know, was that Arthur had heard the whole thing. He had been pretending to be unconscious, but he _had_ heard everything. Hermione's speech was just heartbreaking. She was right too. They stole a life that had meaning and it could never be returned. All they had to do was look deeper. The thing that confused him though, was why she was yelling at Merlin for it all? If Lancelot was there, then surely he would have done the deed. Then again, Arthur didn't know much about his manservant besides his deep sense of Loyalty and awful humor. He did, however, learn a lot about Hermione. So, her family was taken from her, but that was a bit obvious. He never knew Merlin was wearing one of Hermione's father's thing's though. No wonder Merlin got so upset when Arthur had ripped it. Arthur hadn't seen Merlin that mad since…..well, since never. Arthur waited a few moments and then decided to awaken.

Hermione was still cuddling Nimbus when she heard Arthur 'wake up.' She knew he was awake, that's why she didn't say anything about Merlin using magic to slay the Gryphon. Hermione turned her eyes back to their brown color and looked at Arthur.

She told him, "I kno-ow you we-re liste-ening." Arthur looked at her sadly and then looked to the Gryphon in her arms. Hermione protectively held Nimbus closer and Arthur held up his hands in a sign of surrender.

He said to her, "I won't hurt it." Hermione's grip didn't relax on the frightened Gryphon. Merlin and Lancelot walked over to them with heartbroken faces and Arthur stood up to greet them. They had a discussion on Lancelot's fate and that he would have to come back to Camelot for judgement, even if he _did_ kill the Gryphon. Merlin and Arthur began walking back, but Lancelot stayed behind with Hermione. She looked into his deep brown eyes and made hers go red again.

Lancelot sighed and asked, "So you and Merlin have magic?" Hermione nodded and turned her eyes back to brown. "I won't tell a soul." Hermione smiled and nodded.

He looked down to the Gryphon who was eying him and said, "You really have the kindest heart I have ever seen." Hermione blushed and stroked the Gryphon's head. He chirped and snuggled up closer.

The two eventually went separate ways as Lancelot went to the castle to be judged and Hermione apparated to the Cave of Dreams to introduce Crookshanks and Karma to Nimbus. As soon as she got there, Crooks was on edge. Hermione just rolled her eyes and sat on the floor.

She held Nimbus out to Crookshanks and croaked, "Nimbus. Crookshanks." Crooks pawed and Nimbus, but Nimbus just hopped up to the cat and cuddled him. Crookshanks looked annoyed, but Hermione could tell that they would get along just fine. She then let Karma slither out and that meeting went a bit more bumpy. The fact that Nimbus tried to eat Karma was a bit bad, but as soon as she got it through to him that Karma was a friend and not food, everything was good.

She needed to go back out and see Lancelot off because she just knew that he would be leaving. She set down Nimbus with a warning to be good and then disappeared through the floo. She was just in time to get out to the stables and see Lancelot off. When he saw her, he hopped off his horse and strode over to her.

She was a bit confused, but then he told her, "I want to thank you, Hermione. You have taught me many things in the short time I have known you. I would give you a Knight's honor that I were to be forever in your debt, but I am no longer a Knight. So, I will give you my word that if you were to ever need my assistance, then I will be there to assist if you ask. Thank you again, My Lady." He brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them. She blushed and he smiled softly. He then rode off and Hermione watched him. He would be a Knight of Camelot. She knew it would happen.

Later on, Hermione went to the dead mother Gryphon and made her a grave by the Cave of Dreams. It only took a bit of apparation to manage it, but she did. The resting place was beautiful and even had a gravestone Hermione had spent the day making it. Now Nimbus could be close to his mother.

Hermione then began to think of a place for Nimbus to live. He would begin to grow too large to live in the main space of the cave and she needed to be able to keep an eye on him. So, maybe she would make another extension of the cave that lead out to the forest outside. If he didn't come back at night, then something would be wrong. She would need to activate a tracking spell on him that would let her apparate straight to his location if he were to be in trouble. He wouldn't be that big for sometime though!

He was a magical beast and that meant he had a longer time to grow. That meant he would stay smaller, longer. She would have to guess that he was only a year old and was only the size of a three year old human child. That was good. She would just wait a while to set everything up.

After everything was said and done, Hermione dragged herself to bed, ready to be squished by animals. Crookshanks curled by her side and Karma curled around her arm. Their new addition decided to lay right over her stomach and curl up in a ball. She huffed and said goodnight to each of her animals. Once again, she prayed to anyone out there to let her be free of any more animals!


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't know why I keep giving Hermione all these animals, but I want to so I am. So, here's the next chapter and I hope you like reading it as much as I like writing it!**

 **Note: Please also know that whenever Hermione is alone with Merlin and/or Gaius or just alone, her eyes switch back to red and when people are around, they turn back to their whiskey brown. I just wanted to clear that up incase you visualize characters like I do!**

 **ENJOY!**

" _Italics are sign language."_

" _ **Bold Italics are Parseltongue."**_

" **Regular bold is mind talk" (clue?)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin! (Repeating this is getting annoying!)**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

Hermione was having a good morning for once. She was just wandering through the shops when she heard it. The sound of guards chasing someone. That wasn't the only thing though. If she were to focus, she could feel the presence of two magical beings. Both were equal in power, but the one was matured. Hermione knew the guards must be trying to capture them and Hermione was determined to help. She tore off after the guards and grabbed one aside. The king had given her the right to look over all guards, Knights and other fighters. She was to be given information to help any of their tasks because she could not be formally given any title.

"What's going on?"

The guard quickly told her, "A vendor tipped us off about a Druid man and boy coming today to buy items from him. We are chasing them now." Hermione thanked him and ran towards the castle. She heard a boy scream and followed. They were in the middle of trying to get to the drawbridge and Hermione knew the man wasn't going to make it. He blasted a guard back and used his magic to slam the doors shut. Not until after the boy slipped through though. Hermione quickly disillusioned herself and grabbed the man's cloak, apparating away. They ended up in the Darkling woods and the man looked around frightened.

"What happened?" Hermione turned to the man who had questioned her.

She told him quickly, "Go ba-ack to where you ca-ame. I will he-elp the boy."

Before she could leave, the man grabbed her hand and said with the highest respect and thankfulness, "Thank you…..Nyx." Hermione held her breath and realized that her red eyes had been glowing the entire time. She nodded and disappeared from sight. Once she appeared back in the shadows of the castle, she heard it.

" **Help!"** It was the cry of the little boy in her mind.

She said back in her mind with the most comforting tone, " **Where are you?"** She just heard him cry out for help once more. So, she followed the magic. She ran into Merlin and found that he had heard the same voice.

They found the boy, clutching his arm, hiding by a cart. He was so small and frail. His eyes were as blue as Nimueh's and his hair was as black as coal. His skin was pale and held freckles. He was scared. He sent out another cry for help and Hermione went into action.

She signed to Merlin, " _Distract the guards. I'll get the boy inside."_ Merlin nodded and ran towards the guards, pointing them in a different direction than the boy.

Hermione quickly ran to the boy and rasped, "Can you walk?" He nodded and stood up. She grabbed his hand and they ran to a servant's passage way. Merlin must have been an awful distraction because the guards spotted the boy. Hermione handed him off to Merlin and the two ran. Meanwhile she distracted the guards and went on the search with them. She was trying to lead them anywhere away from their magical signatures which she had felt move to Morgana's room.

She finally got away from the bumbling idiots and snuck to Morgana's chambers. She made sure she was not seen and then quickly knocked on the door.

She heard a loud, "Hide him!" She rolled her eyes. They were all a bunch of buffoons! She slammed open the door and everyone stopped in their tracks. Morgana and Gwen were trying to act natural and it was obvious that Merlin and the boy were behind the curtain.

She sighed and said shouted, "Merlin! I kno-ow you're behind the dra-apes!" He still didn't move. So, she pulled back the curtain hesitantly and saw him on the ground, holding the boy who obviously had a lot of blood loss. She gasped and knelt down beside him. She took the boy from Merlin and sat him on her lap. He wasn't that small, but he needed to be close for her to examine his wound without him falling over.

She looked at his bloodied arm and saw the sword wound. She winced. It was a deep slice. She looked into his frightened eyes and tried something she hadn't in a long time. Legilimency. She softly said the spell and entered the boy's mind. It was a complete mess, like most children's. Since he had the ability to talk in the mind, maybe she could try and open a temporary connection.

She heard his frightened voice, " **How are you here?"**

She looked around his mind and sighed. " **I want to help. You need to let me."**

" **You were helping the guards earlier."**

" **I also saved the man you traveled with."**

" **He…...won't be executed?"**

" **No. You are Druid?"**

" **Yes."**

" **I'm going to break the connection. I want you to let us help you. Your wound will hurt so you need to work with us."**

" **I will."**

Hermione exited his mind and took a deep breath. He looked more awake and conscious now. Hermione sighed and began working on the wound. She tore off part of her left sleeve and ultimately revealed her most depressing scar. She wrapped his wound after secretly cleaning it. His eyes didn't leave her scarred arm. Once that was done, she removed his cloak and folded it on the ground as a pillow. They would get more blankets later.

She gently laid him down and whispered in his mind, " **Can I take your shirt to mend?"** He nodded and she carefully took his shirt off. She saw the Druid mark on his chest and sighed. They were such peaceful people and Uther was an idiot. Three black curls that met in the center. She took his shirt and swiped off his sweat. After smoothing down his hair, she told him to rest and she would get him some pain relievers.

Hermione turned around to face two woman with large eyes and slack jaws. She knew they didn't see the scar. So what were they staring at?

She blinked and asked, "What?" Neither of them spoke up, but Merlin did.

"You and him just stared at eachother for a full five minutes and now seem to understand each other." Hermione gave them a hesitant look and threw his shirt to Gwen.

"Mend and wash, thanks." Then, she got up and quickly left the room. She realized that she didn't even ask the little boys name. Huh.

Hermione smiled and went to Gaius's chambers. She gathered some ingredients and began to brew a pain relieving potion for the Druid boy. Entering her world of potion brewing, she began to chop and slice ingredients. She mixed and boiled and ended up making more than necessary. Bottling it up, she tied instructions to it and let Karma off her arm.

She handed the serpent the bottle and hissed, " _ **Give this to Merlin. Discretely please. Do not be seen."**_ Karma nodded and went off in his task. Hermione needed to do something important. She needed to think of a way to get the boy out of Camelot. He was a sitting duck out there. Merlin was surely to go to the dragon in the caves for guidance on this one. Oh, he tried to hide it, but she knew he went to the beast when she was not fast enough on guidance. Yeah, the dragon gave good advice in many things, but she could see selfishness spark in his eyes. Selfishness and revenge were awful traits to let simmer under the surface. It would always come back and bite you. He wasn't troublesome now though, so she would let him slide.

Hermione came up with no ideas on how to get the boy out of the castle and back to the Druids. Karma had come back and she let him be free of her arm. They were just heading to the Cave. Hermione decided to go and play in the forest with Nimbus. The poor dear still didn't know how to fly. She didn't quite know how she would teach him, but maybe she could find a spell to grow some temporary wings. That sounded like a good way to clear her mind.

She lead Karma to the floo and hissed to him, " _ **You sure you want to ride separate?"**_ The snake seemed to scoff at her and she shrugged.

She grabbed some floo powder and said clearly, "The Cave of Dreams" and was transported in a flash of green flames. She watched in amusement as Karma tumbled out of the flames. She picked him up and untangled him.

He slithered around her neck and hissed into her ear, " _ **I'm riding with you from now on."**_ She nodded and stroked his head.

Suddenly, she was bowled over by a speeding ball of feathers. She was knocked to the ground and found a hyper Gryphon hopping on her stomach. She held him above her and sighed. "You are a handful!" He head bumped her and she laughed. Oh, she loved Nimbus' exciting energy. She put him aside and got up. Karma was hanging on for dear life and she smirked. He was just a big sissy.

Crooks sauntered up to her with dignity and sat in front of her. She rolled her eyes and lifted him up.

"You are su-uch a queen." He just bumped her hand, demanding attention. She gave it to him while Nimbus ran around the room. She already had to make furniture repairs due to his running around. She shot out a blast of warning magic and Nimbus stopped. She pointed to the door and he hopped up and down excitedly. She opened the door and he sped out. With her carrying her two pets firmly, she walked after the excited Gryphon. They reached the entrance and Hermione breathed in deeply. It was so much better air here. Maybe it was the lack of idiotic kings. She snorted and they walked out of her magically crafted forest.

They were far enough away from anywhere so Nimbus could flutter around. Hermione set down Crookshanks and unwrapped Karma from her neck. She told them both to go hunt and enjoy the fresh air. The two went off in opposite directions and Hermione faced Nimbus.

"You need to fly." He looked at her strangely and she looked around. The only way to teach him how to fly was to set an example! She didn't have wings though. That would just be another pain in her ass! Hermione sat on the ground and tried to think. Nimbus seemed to shrug in a way and run off.

Hermione sat thinking for hours. Until she finally got an idea. She had done it once when she was little and forgotten all about it. She was scared of the dark at one time and got so scared from looking in a dark corner, that she wanted the shadows to be less scary. So, she imagined them in the form of a cat and voila! A cat shadow to snuggle with. That moment stopped her fear of the dark. Maybe she could make the shape of wings and connect them to her back? It was worth a try.

Hermione looked to her left and then right and saw that all the trees cast a shadow and focused on one of them. Nothing happened. She tried again and felt her magic flicker to the shadow, but it didn't catch. She tried maybe five more times and was getting a headache. She groaned and little Nimbus pounced on her lap. She grunted and stroked his feathers. That was when she got the idea.

She studied his wings a bit further. She looked at the structure and how they were made and the feel of them. Think of the wings. She looked at the shadow and decided to try something easier. A single feather. She felt her magic spark as she pictured a softly floating feather. Her magic formed the feather and she dipped her hand in the shadow. She was extremely amazed when she felt the tip of a feather.

She grabbed it and whisked it out. She gasped at it. It was absolutely enchanting. She ran her hand up the black feather that looked to be almost ghost like. It just looked like a feather shaped shadow, but she could _feel_ it! It was real, tangible, it even smelled like a feather. She held it out to Nimbus and he sniffed it. Then, he tried to bite it, but his beak just went through it!

She could only say one thing and that was, "Amazing!" Nimbus chirped and kept trying to get a hold on the feather. She threw it up in the air and Nimbus went after it. She controlled the feather and watched in amusement as Nimbus chased it. Night fell upon them and soon, she let the shadow form fall. Nimbus plunked down in her lap in a tired heap and she chuckled.

She cooed to him, "Finally used tha-at energy?" He just stayed in her lap, ready for bed. Hermione got up and looked around. Beside her came Crookshanks and she smiled. He alway knew when he was needed. Next, Karma came slithering up to her and she lifted him to her neck. If there was room, she bet Crookshanks would have her hold him too. They were all just a bunch of freeloaders! She smiled and began to walk back to the Cave.

Hermione absolutely loved her creation. It was a dream to sleep in and just an experience over all. Maybe, if Merlin allowed it, she would take Lily here. She could never replace the little Merlin that was near and dear to her heart and she didn't feel a connection with Lily as she did with Merlin, but the little girl still held her heart. Hermione just felt like she was replacing Merlin. Ever since they had come to Camelot, they had been spending more and more time apart and it was honestly hurting her a bit. She wanted Merlin to stay close to her forever. She wanted him to be her little boy, but he would not. He would move on without her and she would be alone with her snake, half-kneazle, and Gryphon. What a life.

Hermione had reached the living space by then and felt a soft feathery touch on her cheek. It was Nimbus, looking at her with worry. She sniffled and wiped her cheek. There, was a tear. She had been crying? She just pet Nimbus and placed him on the floor. She needed to be close to Merlin. Karma was inserted back into her arm and she hugged Nimbus and Crookshanks goodnight. Then, she left through the floo. Hermione looked at the quiet surroundings and sighed. They were asleep. She tiptoed up up to Merlin's room and quietly slipped off her gloves, boots and scarf. She quietly slipped into Merlin's bed and he shifted to hold her.

He whispered drowsily, "why are you here?"

She sniffled and said just a bit brokenly, "I'm scared."

He held her closer and whispered, "Of what?"

"Being left behind."

Merlin took hold of her hand and whispered, "I won't leave you behind." Hermione closed her eyes and fell asleep with that promise settling her thoughts.

Gaius awoke the next morning, a bit annoyed actually. He was woken in the middle of the night by a strange sound and had a hard time falling back asleep. Plus, these stupid guards kept checking his room for the Druid boy! Why on earth would he have the boy hidden away? He was the court Physician and visited by people every day. He would have no time to care for the boy. Well, he cared for Merlin, but that was different because he had Hermione here to help.

Speaking of Hermione, where was she? She usually woke him up with her early morning brewing. He wasn't annoyed by her waking him up because he had woken up late today. There was a knock on his door and he opened it to reveal an annoyed looking Prince Arthur.

"Yes, Arthur?"

He looked at Gaius and said, "My Manservant decided not to show up today. Do you know where he is?" Gaius nodded and lead the Prince in.

"I fear that may be my fault, sire. Hermione was not here to wake me, which means that I was not early enough to wake Merlin. I'll go get him now." Arthur shook his head and strode up to Merlin's room.

"Don't bother. I'll just get him." Arthur stepped up the stairs and slammed the door open as hard as he possibly could. He heard the strangest noise though. A feminine shriek and then a thump. The door had closed back on him from the force and he slowly opened the door again. There on the floor was a very annoyed Hermione.

She was pulling on her scarf and Arthur was a bit surprised that she'd done it so fast. Maybe those neck scars really were that bad. That wasn't the point at the moment. The point was that there were two nineteen year old siblings, sharing a bed. It was completely inappropriate!

"Hermione?" She looked at him extremely annoyed and Merlin was still laying down, but with his pillow shoved over his head. Arthur strided up to Merlin and grabbed the pillow and smacked Merlin with it.

"You were supposed to be up for duty an hour ago!"

Merlin groaned and said while getting up, "Was I?"

Hermione answered, now standing up with her gloves on, "Yes." Merlin groaned and put on his regular shirt, belt and jacket. Then he sat down and shoved on his boots. Hermione pushed Arthur out of the way and stood in front of Merlin. She tied on his neckerchief and Merlin smiled at her. He stood up and him and Hermione walked out of the room while Arthur was still left staring. That was…...odd.

Arthur stepped out of the room and saw Hermione holding out a sandwich to Merlin and he took it gratefully. When had she done that? There was only about ten seconds where he hadn't been watching!

Merlin kissed Hermione on the cheek and said with a goofy smile, "You're the best. See you later! Come on Arthur, you said I had work to do." Then, Merlin strode out of the room. Arthur slowly looked at Hermione and she smirked at him. She made a shooing motion with her hands and Arthur grudgingly left. Those two were just too weird! It was like they functioned with the same brain they were so coordinated. And to be completely honest, he was a bit envious.

Hermione smirked as they left and got out another sandwich. She loved sandwiches. So easy to make. Oh! There was one person who needed breakfast! The Druid boy was probably hungry. Hermione packed up a sandwich and said goodbye to Gaius after snatching one of her already made Pain relieving potions from the table.

He stopped her before she left and asked her suspiciously, "What do you need the potion for?"

Hermione said smoothly, "Would yo-ou really want to kno-ow that?" Gaius seemed to think about it for a second and then nodded.

"Carry on." Hermione turned around swiftly and snickered. Oh, how she loved Gaius! But, for a paranoid guy, he was pretty easy to manipulate.

Hermione walked through the halls and knocked on Morgana's door. Instead of waiting for a response, she just walked in after. Morgana looked like a deer caught in headlights. The boy was out in the open and Morgana was not expecting someone to enter without her consent. Idiots.

Morgana said a bit outraged, "You must wait for my consent to enter!"

Hermione just scoffed and said, "No I don't." Morgana huffed and she could hear the boy snicker. Hermione smirked down at him and sat next to him.

" **Let's see your arm"** she spoke to him in his mind. He showed her his bandaged arm and she unwrapped it. It was healing nicely. She took some gauze out of her pocket and after smearing some of the pain relief on it, she re-wrapped it. Then, she made him drink the rest of the potion and gave him the sandwich.

He looked into her eyes and spoke softly into her mind, " **Thank you…...Nyx."** Hermione paused and looked up. Morgana had gone to get ready for the day and Hermione was thankful for that now.

" **You know my name?"**

" **It was the Druids who foretold of you coming."**

" **I didn't even know I was coming."**

" **Well, you're here. Have you heard your own stories?"**

" **No, but I'm guessing there are ones about my brother, Emrys."**

" **There is. Your stories are intertwined."**

" **I guessed that. Unlike Merlin I am more open to the fact that I am a different person as well as this one."**

They were snapped out of their conversation by a knock on the door. Hermione quickly pulled the screen closed.

She hid the boy in the corner and told him, " **This will feel strange. Just don't move."** He nodded and she placed a disillusion and notice-me-not charm over him. There, he was virtually unseeable. She did the same to herself and messed up his bed of blankets to look like a messy laundry pile. Then, she opened the window that was behind the screen and sat the boy on her lap. All they had to do was wait. She had grabbed the boy's boots and things and transfigured them into hairpins that she was wearing. After years of war, she had learned to be prepared. Then, she heard the one voice she did not expect. The voice of Prince Arthur fighting with Morgana about checking the room.

She heard Morgana say, "Fine then. I'm hiding the boy behind the screen. Go on. Go see." Oh, that was smart! Reverse psychology!

Well, she was impressed until Arthur said, "Well, maybe I will!" Hermione held her breath as Arthur pulled back the screen. To the eyes of Arthur and Morgana, there was only a pile of blankets and clothes that Arthur had moved to see if anyone was underneath it. Morgana was dumbstruck and Arthur was a bit embarrassed. Behind everyone, Hermione could see Merlin looking straight at her. She smirked at him and he had to stop himself from smiling. He knew Hermione would have it covered. Now, all she needed to do was explain to Morgana how they disappeared! Knowing Hermione, she would think of something.

The Prince left with his manservant and guards after closing the screen and apologizing. Hermione made the two visible again and Morgana pulled back the screen.

"How did you do that?" She looked at Hermione with suspicion and Hermione put on her best amazed face.

"I didn't do anything! I was su-ure he would find us, but I guess his ma-agic reacted and ma-ade us invisible." Hermione coughed, her throat stung after that long sentence. Maybe she could just be mad all the time. She could talk perfectly well when her emotions were high. Even if her throat was killing her after, she wasn't word butchering.

Morgana looked to the boy in amazement and smiled. Phew! Hermione was so glad that worked.

Her and Morgana placed the boy back on his remade bed and Morgana looked to her and said, "We need to get him back to his people." Hermione nodded and sat silently. This boy needed to go back to his people soon. The king would be getting restless and set out more and more searchers. His revenge and spite for all things magical was just too strong.

Hermione didn't know the secret ins and outs of the castle yet. When Merlin came after his shift, he would know a way to smuggle the Druid boy out. For now, he was taken care of and falling asleep. Hermione would go and have more flying lessons with Nimbus. That would take her mind off things.

So, she said goodbye to Morgana and a mental goodbye to the boy and left. As soon as the door closed behind her, she remembered that she forgot to ask the boy's name again! Ugh! She really wanted to know! Hermione just shook her head and walked away. Before she had left, she made sure to put the boy's stuff back to its rightful form instead of a hair clip. So, if they decided on an escape attempt anytime soon, he would have proper footwear!

Hermione got to Gaius's chambers and surprise, Gaius was there. He smiled and said a greeting while she smoothly walked past him to the fireplace. It was so hard to lie to Gaius! It almost felt as if she were lying to Dumbledore, which was a strange comparison because Gaius was nothing like Dumbledore! The dragon in the basement was more like the old coot! Maybe it was just a mix of them. The dragon had the riddles for answers and Gaius' elderly wisdom kind of presence. Her mind was just an odd place.

Hermione reached the Cave and was attacked by the fast flying Nimbus. She caught him and he snuggled her mercilessly. It was like he knew that she was going to take him out. Hermione put Nimbus down with a smile and Hermione couldn't see Crookshanks anywhere. Oh, well he could get in and out of the cave anytime he wanted. She trusted her orange companion. She decided not to let Karma off her arm until they reached the outdoors. It would be easier for her not to trip on him. He had a habit of slithering under her feet and tripping her. She was starting to believe that the snake was doing it on purpose. Which wouldn't surprise her because it's a Slytherin Snake quality.

Hermione had reached the outdoors and smiled. It was really nice weather. Like, a cool breeze with just the right amount of warmth. It made the air feel clearer in a sense. Enough about the weather though! She looked around and spotted Nimbus twittering around like the little spaz he was. Karma's magic was urging her to let him off her arm and she could have smacked herself for forgetting. She sent out a small twitch of apologetic magic and let him slip off of her arm. He nipped at her and then slithered off. Temperamental serpent.

All she needed to do was find another dark shadowy spot. She perfected making a feather the other day. How about making a line of connecting feathers? That may work. Hermione spotted the perfect shadowy spot underneath a large tree. She walked over to the spot and sat. From then went hours of concentration and frustration. She finally got the whispy dark shadow form of feathers to connect. She jumped in joy and sent the feathers out through the forest.

She could see Nimbus jump after one and try to nip at it. Crookshanks had turned up a while ago and was now jumping at the feathers. Hermione smiled and made the feathers disappear. It was almost dawn actually. Did it take her the whole day? She didn't even notice it getting dark! Nimbus must have been freezing! Hermione called Karma to her with a wave of magic and he showed up after a few minutes. He slithered up to her neck and curled around it. She stroked his head and began walking back to the cave for some sleep. She was dead tired! The group reached the cave and walked through.

A bluebell flame was lit absentmindedly and she continued walking on the rocky ground. They reached the inner door and opened that one. Hermione breathed a sigh as she closed the door behind her. She trudged to her bed after lighting the fireplace with the bluebell flames. Karma slithered to her leg as she belly flopped on to her bed. Crookshanks snuggled up on the top of her pillow while Nimbus just flopped over her back. His elbow was digging into her back! She growled softly and he moved to a better position while nipping at her hair. She chuckled and brought her hand back to stroke his feathers. He did a sort of purring sound and snuggled back up. Soon, she drifted to dreamland. There were no dreams actually, just the feeling of sweet relaxation. The last thing that went through her mind was 'I hope Merlin can get on without me.'

When Hermione woke up, she was in a completely different position. She was laying on her back with her leg hanging off the bed. Her blankets were twisted around her torso and there seemed to be an orange fluffy ball of half-kneazle resting on her face. There was a pressure on her chest where she guessed Nimbus was sleeping and she could feel scales coiling around her arm. She huffed and growled at Crookshanks. He just purred and ignored her. The grumpy old thing.

She ended up pushing him off after freeing her arm that wasn't being hugged by a snake, from under Nimbus and pushing the cat off. She heard the fireplace flare and wanted to chuckle. That was most likely Merlin. She had taught him how to use the floo and he despised it. She didn't blame him. It took her far too long to not end up flying out the other end. She heard the crash of a table and a small swear. Ugh, Merlin the clutz! Hermione grabbed Crookshanks and placed him back over her face. She wanted to sleep longer. Maybe if he saw that she was asleep then he would go away.

Her dreams were crushed when her door was open and light bathed her room. She wondered what time it was. Couldn't be too late in the day. Hermione heard Merlin softly walk to her bed and then stand still. She wondered what happened until Crookshanks was lifted off her face. Hermione then looked into the amused eyes of Merlin.

He set Crookshanks back down on the bed and then said quietly, "Can I join you?" Hermione nodded and Merlin went over to the other side of the bed and laid down beside her. Nimbus chirped and went to go sniff Merlin out. The two haven't really had too much time to bond, but they were friends enough. Merlin stroked the Gryphon's feathers and smiled. Nimbus chattered and head butted Merlin's hand.

Karma slithered up to Hermione's stomach and curled up there. He hissed and seemed to go back to sleep. Merlin chuckled and watched as Nimbus curled back up to Hermione's side, pressed up against Crookshanks. Merlin snorted and Hermione gave him narrowed eyes.

"You look ridiculous, you know that right?" Hermione flicked his nose and smirked when he gave a small Yelp. He rubbed his nose and sighed.

"I actually did come here for a reason." Hermione gave him a curious look and he looked at her.

"What if…..what if I could change the future with one action, but I don't know if what I am doing will make the future better or worse?" Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. She had asked herself the same question so many times. She was from the future! Hermione winced. She had almost forgotten about that. Dammit.

Hermione just looked at him straight in the eyes and signed, " _We will never know what the future has in store for us. All you can do is what you think is right and hope for the best. Not even that pesky dragon can for tell the future. It is an ever changing thing that will never be clear."_ Merlin looked at her and slowly nodded. He looked back up to her ceiling and seemed to be pondering something frustrating. Hermione just smiled at him and closed her eyes. She didn't expect to fall asleep again, but she did. She woke next when she heard Merlin enter her chambers through the fireplace again. This time, she got up to greet him. Karma coiled around her neck and Nimbus sprinted out of the room. Crookshanks just stayed on her bed completely ready for another nap.

Merlin stood in front of her with a relieved look. He almost looked as if the weight that was usually resting on his shoulders had been removed and it made her smile.

She signed to him, " _What has you so happy?"_

Merlin shuffled his feet and said, "I helped the Druid boy escape. Arthur is taking him to his people now." Hermione smiled brightly and hugged her brother. He hugged her back and they released after a second. She took his hand and sat him down. They sat across from one another and just enjoyed the silence. Nimbus curled up by the fire and Karma was still curled around her neck.

She looked to Merlin with pride and signed, " _You did good."_ Merlin smiled and their night continued on.


	13. Chapter 13

**Note: I have never read a real Merlin story in my life, so please. For a certain part in this story that involves the Lake of Avalon, take that into consideration.**

 **LISTEN CLOSELY! I feel it's a good time to explain all Hermione's abilities. She has a way with the elements, mostly fire. She has the ability to bend shadows, talk to snakes and become the Black Shuck (a demon dog). I already explained during her Animagus training that Hermione was neither here nor there in the timeline. She's almost a nonexistent being. It's hard to explain, but imagine her being a ghost that stays in one place while the world moves on. Her powers are matching those of a ruler of the night, hell and all things dark.** _ **That**_ **is what Hermione is. Nyx is who Hermione would have been if she were in this original timeline. Just like Merlin is Emrys, Hermione is Nyx. Hermione is the vision of Darkness while Merlin is the vision of Light. So, I hope that cleared things up. It'll be explained more in the story.**

 **Also, I would like to add that you peeps need to review the story! How am I to know what you would like to see in the future or know what you didn't like? It's important so I can write great chapters in the future! Thanks!**

 **Now, on to the next chapter!**

 **ENJOY!**

" _Italics are sign language."_

" _ **Bold Italics are Parseltongue."**_

" **Regular italics is mind talk."**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the magical worlds of Harry Potter or Merlin!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12.**

It was a very special occasion in the kingdom. Arthur's coming of age ceremony was taking place! He would officially be crowned Prince and a step closer to becoming king. Everyone was excited. Even Merlin. Hermione was on a History lover's dream. Experiencing Arthur's coming of age ceremony was a huge honor for her. She wasn't supposed to be invited at first, but Arthur insisted she come if only to keep Merlin from ruining it all. She knew though, that he actually wanted her there. Even if she wasn't invited, she still would have gone.

Hermione was instructed to dress nicely, but she refused to wear a dress. Morgana and Gwen tried and tried, but didn't succeed. All they got was a seriously pissed off Hermione and a chuckling Merlin telling them it was impossible.

So, she got out her finest black shirt and a nice pair of pants. She shined her black boots and actually managed to get her hair into a fresh braid. Her dagger, scarf, and gloves were still firmly in place. Hermione thought she looked pretty good. Well, when she got there, Merlin didn't seem to think so. Neither did Gwen. They both told her that she could have worn something nicer and all she told them was that she shined her boots and everything! She thought that she looked fancy. They just shook their heads and continued their conversation.

It was time for the ceremony a few moments later. They watched in secret pride as Arthur was declared Prince of Camelot. Gwen looked to Merlin and asked, "How does it feel to be a servant to the crowned Prince of Camelot?"

He scoffed and replied, "Now washing his royal socks will be even more of a privilege." Hermione snorted and Merlin smiled.

"You're proud. I can see it,"

Gwen insisted. Merlin just said jokingly, "Those socks are very clean, of course I'm proud." Hermione silently chuckled. Merlin was proud of Arthur. She could tell. Everyone was actually.

Their happiness didn't last long because through the large stained glass window jumped the largest horse Hermione had ever seen! That wasn't all though. The horse had a rider, looked to be a knight going by his crest on his shield. The Knight was a beast of a man! He stood tall and strong with thick armor. Everything he wore was dark. Nothing on him was even remotely undamaged. His helmet was scratched, his cape had holes and everything about him looked old. She had seen Knight's armor, but this man had an old set. It was built strong, meant for battle. She sniffed the air and took on a confused face. He smelt of death. Just pure death! No skin, no bones, no lively fragrance. All death. Hermione had to cover her nose from the overpowering scent. The other thing that made her worry was the strong sense of magic coming from the man. That was expected, but the thing that threw her for a loop was that it was Nimueh's signature magic. This witch just wouldn't quit!

The mysterious intruder approached the Knights that had their swords drawn. He did something that wildly confused her. He threw down his gauntlet in front of the knights. It was a challenge! Hermione held in her breath. The gauntlet was thrown towards Arthur, but anyone could pick it up. She saw Arthur slide his sword back into its place and go for the gauntlet. He was stopped though, when Sir Owain took up the challenge. Hermione groaned. That stuck up ponce wasn't going to win the battle! He was too slow and cocky.

The Black Knight seemed to almost sigh and say with his unearthly voice, "Noon tomorrow, single combat, to the death." Then, the Knight went off.

Hermione stood shell shocked, as did most of the people. To the death? Owain wouldn't survive! Merlin touched her arm and she looked into his worried blue eyes.

She signed, " _This will not end well."_

Merlin nodded, "I hoped you wouldn't say that." Hermione grabbed Merlin's hand and the two walked out of the hall. She lead him all the way to Gaius' chambers. There, they went to the fireplace and floo'd to the cave. Hermione knew that Merlin wanted to figure out who the Knight was and needed a silent place to think. So, the Cave was obviously the best place for that. They entered and were greeted by a lazy Crookshanks and a hyper Nimbus. Hermione let Karma slide off her arm into one of the armchairs.

Then, she picked up Crookshanks and sat down in the same armchair. Merlin sat across from her and Nimbus jumped into his lap. He grunted in pain, but the two settled in a comfy position. Hermione removed her gloves and scarf as well as her socks and boots. Crooks settled back in her lap and there sat Hermione and Merlin in pondering silence.

The problem was that the mysterious Knight was unknown. Hermione didn't recognize his crest anywhere and Merlin didn't either. Hermione told Merlin of the overwhelming scent of death and Nimueh's magic rolling off of him. Merlin thought that maybe it was a Knight Nimueh brought back from the dead, but Hermione just couldn't believe it. Necromancy? Sure, Nimueh had the power for it, but that wasn't the problem. Sure, an undead Knight, that could eventually be taken care of. Hide his head on top of a mountain or separate him from his limbs to stop him until they found a permanent fix. That would be easy. The thing that is challenging is the fact that the Knight was there for vengeance. That meant that when he was alive, he swore to come back from the dead and get revenge. That needed to be followed through or they needed something to destroy it.

Plus, they didn't even know if the man really was dead! It was just a guess. They would find out when the Knight faced Sir Owain. Hermione hoped Owain would pull through, but deep down, she knew that wouldn't happen. Merlin left after an hour of thinking and had many new hypothesis. She signed goodnight to her brother and headed to her own room. She was too tired to practice more shadow forming with Nimbus.

That was a big development. She could finally get the shape of the wings right, but what she needed was the bone structure and how to attach it to her back. It was all so tricky, but she was getting the hang of it. Nimbus was fluttering off the ground a bit, but he just couldn't get the wing motions. Hermione guessed that they would learn everything together. She wanted to be a mentor and a mother to Nimbus. So, even if it killed her, she would teach Nimbus to fly!

Hermione plopped down on her bed while her three animals joined her. They fell asleep until the next morning. When the sun came up, you could almost feel the foreboding in the air. Hermione got herself up, got ready, and headed to get Merlin up. It was earlier than usual, so he may need an alarm clock for the day. With Karma firmly in her arm, she floo'd to Gaius's chambers. Gaius was up and making breakfast. He turned and greeted her. She waved to him and then went to Merlin's room.

He was up. Sitting on the edge of his bed fully dressed. She knew he could feel the eminent doom in the air. Merlin had a sense when it came to these things. He could almost sense the air shift from joyful to depressing. He could do it ever since he was little. Hermione sat next to him and grabbed his hand.

He looked at her and said, "I know this won't end well." Hermione nodded and soon, the two went to the table for breakfast. Hermione skipped the meal. She didn't think she could handle food at the moment.

After breakfast, Merlin went to do his chores for Arthur and Hermione decided to go down to the training grounds. She was hoping that Owain would be there practicing. She wanted to test him. So, Hermione walked through the castle and reached the training grounds. She was startled to find that Owain wasn't training. He wasn't even on the grounds. What she was faced with though, was the Black Knight. He stood tall and mysterious, not moving an inch. She walked up and stood in front of him. He didn't even look at her. She was curious through. So, she reached her hand to his armor and was going to poke him. It was common curiosity!

He could be a ghost. Ghosts could be solid when they so choose. If it was powerful magic, then they could be solid longer. Hermione never got to touch the Knight, why? Well, because he grabbed her wrist and wouldn't let go. She finally got fed up and grabbed her dagger. She slashed his hand and he gasped in pain, letting go of her wrist. She watched in fascination as his skin pulled right back together. Hermione left as quickly as she came and got as far away from the Knight as possible. Hermione was a bit shook up. First off, his skin was pure obsidian black! Secondly, it healed back in an instant! That was not supposed to happen to human beings. So, that left one conclusion. The Knight wasn't human and Owain was as good as dead.

Hermione headed out to the arena of sorts and just sat on the bleachers. No one was there, the fight wouldn't start until noon. It gave her plenty of time to think of something. Her dagger only harmed it, she definitely couldn't kill it. What could kill the dead? What even was the Knight?

Surely he wasn't a ghost. Nothing about him was really ghost like, but he wasn't human. There were tons of monsters! How would she figure out what this one was? Only one thing came to her mind. Research. Hermione smiled at the thought of it. She hadn't researched anything for a long while.

More time passed and people began to come to the stands. Hermione moved to a front seat by the Knights and waited for things to start. The stands were packed and Hermione could see Merlin and Gaius by the gates. Owain entered the field, looking too confident for his own good. Hermione just shook her head and looked towards the other side of the arena where the Black Knight entered. He didn't look any different from the first time she'd seen him.

The fight began and Hermione could say it was a good fight. The Black Knight obviously overpowered Owain, but Owain was swift and could dodge blows.

She saw his perfect chance to strike down the Knight and it seemed that Arthur did too because he shouted, "One well aimed blow!" Everyone held their breath as Owain stuck his sword into the Black Knights abdomen. She knew though. She knew that the Knight wouldn't fall. Hermione stared wide-eyed as the Black Knight knocked Owain to the ground and stabbed the Knight. The crowd gasped in horror and Hermione shook her head. It was awful to know something was going to happen and you couldn't do anything about it. She felt powerless.

Hermione watched in dread as the Black Knight threw down his gauntlet and asked for a challenge. He was hoping for Arthur. Hermione knew that was what was happening. Arthur hopped up from his seat, but Uther held him down. On instinct, she got up to accept the challenge, but Sir Pellinor beat her to it. She swiftly sat down and was thankful to any godly power that would listen that Sir Pellinor took up the challenge before her. She would have surely died!

Merlin needed her alive, not dead. She was however, upset that Pellinor accepted the challenge. Not only was he not completely healed from his last mission, but he was one of the best Knights Camelot had. She knew he would lose and it pained her to not be able to help. When the Knight accepted the challenge, he directly turned to Uther. Uther! The Knight didn't want to kill Arthur, he wanted revenge on Uther! What did the stupid king do that could warrant such vengeance?

After the Black Knight exited the arena, Hermione went to the Cave to do some research on Mythical beings that this Black Knight could possibly be. She searched until the next night. She didn't see the need to go to Pellinor's match. She already knew he lost. Her frustration grew throughout the day and she lost control of her magic twice! Blowing the armchairs to smithereens! She fixed them obviously, but her frustration stayed.

After a while, the realization finally came to her! She was looking in all the wrong places. It wasn't a regular beast, it was probably a making of the Old Religion if Nimueh's magic was all over it. She needed to look in Gaius's books!

When Hermione turned up in Gaius's chambers, she was surprised to see Merlin and Gaius hovering over a book looking worried. She caught the word "wraith" and promptly smacked her forehead.

The two swiftly turned around to face her and she mouthed many times, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Of course the Knight was a wraith! He had all the signs of one. Vengeance, powerful magic conjuring it, the fact that the thing was dead was a big giveaway.

Hermione signed to Merlin, " _Why is the wraith out to kill Uther?"_

Merlin blinked at her, but answered, "His name is Tristan de Bois and he's here because Uther killed him in single combat. He blames Uther for killing his sister, Uther's wife Ygraine and challenged him. Uther won, but Tristan swore before he died that he would come back again."

Hermione then signed to Merlin, " _She must have known somehow. How could she know that Tristan had such a vengeful wishes surrounding his death?"_ Merlin mulled it over and came to one conclusion.

"Nimueh must have been close to the royal family somehow."

Hermione snapped her fingers and pointed at Merlin. It was sort of her sign for, " _You've cracked the case!"_ They still had a problem though. How does one go about killing a dead spirit?

Merlin looked at her hesitantly and said, "We have another problem."

She motioned for him to continue and he said, "Arthur challenged him. For tomorrow." Hermione closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten. She didn't want to break anything. Arthur the idiot! She heard a glass break and growled. Her red eyes were full on blazing. How could one boy be so stupid? Did he not see the Knight be stabbed and not fall or even be injured? She looked at Merlin and took a deep breath.

Merlin suggested, "Maybe I could kill it with magic?"

Hermione shook her head and signed, " _Not even you're magic can cheat death."_ Merlin sighed and they stood in silence. Gaius excused himself and Hermione and Merlin were left alone.

After a moment, Merlin said, "I'm going to try and convince Arthur not to fight." Hermione knew it would be useless, but it was worth a try. She gave Merlin an encouraging smile and off Merlin went. She sat there for a few moments and decided that maybe a look around the library would help her think better. Maybe there was something there that they could use.

It was convenient when she met an upset Merlin at the library. He walked up to her table and sat down heavily. She gave him a comforting look and he gave her a small smile. They continued to search books until Geoffrey entered the library and was startled to see them. The two stopped what they were doing and looked at the man with wide eyes. Hermione made sure hers were back to normal brown. She had almost forgotten. Well, it had become her way of life to hide her eye color around those she didn't want to see it. She barely even thought about it anymore. She never noticed her eyes flashing gold when she did magic either. That was a bit annoying.

Geoffrey was an older man that had a bit of a belly on him. The top of his head was bald, but greying hair covered the back and a bit of the sides of his head. He wore nice robes and stood tall. He was the head of Camelot's library and took his job very seriously.

He asked angrily and a bit curiously, "How did you get in here?"

Merlin answered, "The door was open."

"It was not. I locked it!"

"Well, someone must have opened it then."

"And you thought that you would walk right in here and help yourself?"

"No, uh, Gaius sent me for a book."

Geoffrey looked at him curiously and asked, "On what?"

Merlin shuffled his feet and said, "Gaius thinks that the Knight is a wraith."

Geoffrey's eyes widened and said gravely, "Then Arthur is in grave danger."

Merlin nodded and asked the man, "Do you know of a book that tells of a weapon that can kill the dead?"

Geoffrey thought that was a strange question, but answered, "There are many fables that have weapons that can do astonishing things. I think there may be such a weapon in….." Geoffrey began to look around.

Merlin was impatient and said, "We're kind of in a hurry."

Geoffrey nodded and replied, "Yes, young people usually are." Hermione snorted and Geoffrey smiled. He enjoyed Hermione's company in his library. She was always respectful and always up for a good literature chat. Well, he did most of the chatting, but it was still nice to have someone listen to his ramblings.

He searched and searched until he finally found it. "Ah! Here it is in The Chronicles of Beltain!" Merlin perked up and listened as Geoffrey read the passage. "Sir Marhaus looked upon the great sword, begotten in the Dragon's breath and found it passing good." Merlin looked at Hermione and he got up and ran off.

Hermione smiled at Geoffrey and mouthed, "Thank you." He smiled back and nodded. Such a polite girl.

It was still late in the night and Hermione and Merlin were running through the city. They were heading for Gwen's house, Hermione was sure of it. She was proved correct in her assumption when Merlin knocked on Gwen's door.

The maidservant opened the door and smiled. "Merlin! What brings you here?"

He looked at her seriously and asked, "Can I ask you a favor?"

Gwen eagerly nodded, "sure, anything!" Merlin looked at her oddly and she back tracked.

"Well, not anything, obviously. Uh, wh-what is it you wanted." Hermione swallowed a chuckle at Gwen's nervousness.

Merlin asked, "I need your father's best made sword."

Gwen looked at him nervously and asked, "What for?"

Merlin swallowed and whispered, "To save Arthur."

Gwen nodded slowly and lead them into the house. She reached under the single bed and took out what Hermione guessed was a sword wrapped in elegant red fabric. She unwrapped it and there sat the most beautiful piece of weaponry Hermione had ever seen. It's handle was perfectly shaped and swirled with gold. The blade seemed normal enough, but it was so perfectly shaped.

Merlin snorted at the look of pure amazement on his sister's face. Of course a sword would get her excited. She was practically drooling! He looked at the weapon and could understand her amazement. He was no fanatic about this sort of thing, but even he could tell that it was perfect in every way. He re-wrapped it and thanked Gwen.

Him and Hermione bounded off straight for the caves underneath the castle. Once they passed the guards, they ran for the stairs. They didn't even bother with the torch. Hermione just lit a bright, white flame and continued on. The two reached the cave entrance and were surprised to see the dragon already there.

He lifted his head and Merlin instantly said, "Do you know why I'm here?"

The dragon seemed to sigh and say in his loud and magical voice, "It may surprise you Merlin, but my knowledge of your life is not universal." Hermione couldn't keep the amusement off her face from that comment. Merlin gave her a look that told her to get serious, so she hardened her face and let Merlin and the dragon continue their conversation.

"It has to do with Arthur," Merlin said seriously. "His life is in danger and he will perish unless I can make a weapon that will kill the dead." Merlin unwrapped the sword and held it out to the beast. He used his magic to levitate the sword in front of the dragon.

He asked with extreme importance, "Will you burnish it? To save Arthur?"

The dragon stepped back a bit from the sword and said, "The dead do not return without a reason. Who has this person of the dead come for?"

Merlin took a breath and answered, "Uther."

The dragon snapped his sharp toothed jaws and said almost gleefully, "Then let him take his vengeance. The wraith will die without having my aid."

Merlin shook his head angrily and replied, "But it is Arthur who is fighting the wraith! Not Uther. If Arthur dies than Camelot will have no heir and Albion will not exist!" The dragon breathed out a smoking breath and thought over Merlin's logic.

He reluctantly said to Merlin, "A weapon forged with my assistance will have great power. In the wrong hands, this sword could do great evil. It must be wielded by Arthur and only Arthur."

Merlin nodded and said, "I understand."

The dragon bared his razor sharp teeth and said to Merlin, "No! You must promise me!"

Merlin looked the dragon straight in his serpentine golden eyes and said, "I promise you."

The Great Dragon roared and began to breath his magic fire. Merlin stepped back and Hermione threw up a shield around the both of them. Hermione could feel the overpowering magic surround them. It was greater than anything she had ever felt. The fire stopped and in the air floated a dazzling piece of weaponry.

The sword looked shinier, the gold brighter, the blade sharper. The newest addition though, was the golden metal that ran in the middle of the sword and stopped halfway down the blade. She could see strange symbols carved in it and gasped in awe. It was magnificent. Suddenly, the realization hit her. This sword was the legendary Excalibur! No way she was witnessing this. The making of the sword that started it all! She had to stop herself from hyperventilating with excitement!

Merlin lowered it down to the red cloth and rewrapped it. The Great Dragon said to Merlin with great importance, "Heed my words. The sword was forged for Arthur and him alone." Merlin nodded with complete truthfulness and left the cave. Hermione peered at the mythical beast and gave him a small bow.

He said to her, "Be careful, child. Times are getting deadlier and Merlin will need you more than ever." She gave him another respectful bow and ran after Merlin.

The fight was set and Hermione was ready for the wraith to die. This time, she knew Arthur would succeed and everything would be fine. Merlin was in the back, preparing Arthur for the match and Hermione was sitting front and center. She wanted to watch the wraith crumble. Her wrist was still bruised from him grabbing it! Stupid wraiths had no respect whatsoever.

The crowd only waited a few moments for the challengers to come out. First came the Black Knight and after another moment, followed…..Uther! What the hell? Merlin, he had one job! Not let the sword be used by anyone else! What would happen now? Oh no! She hoped this wouldn't screw anything up.

The fight began and the damn wraith was winning! Uther was too out of shape for this kind of stuff. That didn't mean Uther was doing terrible though. They traded blows of equal power, neither managing to land a hit. Uther had the most powerful sword in all creation and the wraith had skill beyond measure. The Black Knight knocked Uther off balance and took a swing, but Uther brought it back with a swift uppercut.

The crowd watched as the Knight's helmet flew off and revealed the most sickly sight! Hermione had seen things in her lifetime, but none compared to the grotesque sight of the wraiths face. It was blackened and looked almost burned. It's head still looked like skin was pulled over the skull, but that was all to its human features. The rest was a sickly decaying skull. That was what was left of Tristan de Bois. A man that just wanted to avenge his family. It was sad actually.

The fight went on with even more ferocity and Hermione felt a prickle on the back of her neck. She wildly looked around and spotted the smug smiled face of Nimueh. Hermione clenched the seat she was sitting on and could hear the wood splinter and crack. That magic, oh how that woman's magic made her want to tear the bitch's head from her shoulders. Hermione heard a gasp and her anger halted when Nimueh's face turned to that of fear and anger.

Hermione looked to the arena and saw the sword being removed from the wraith. Hermione watched in a sickening fascination as the monster seemed to shrivel and catch fire. He burned and burned until even the ashes were gone. Unseen to everyone was a floating light, black as night. It was vengeful and angry. It was so sad.

She acted in instinct and thought in her mind, " **I wish your soul to find peace, Tristan de Bois. For you came to avenge your loved one. Cross over and let go of your hatred and be with her. I'm sure she would forgive you."** The light halted and began to glow a light gold. Then, went completely white. It swirled and swirled until it disappeared.

She heard a whimsical voice that called out to her, " **Thank you."** Hermione sniffed and realized she was crying. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and clapped with the rest of the crowd. She sensed Nimueh's absence and it didn't bother her. Hermione felt peaceful. She felt amazed that she had helped a tormented soul find peace. It made her the happiest she could ever feel.

The next evening, Hermione sat in the courtyard. Just in the middle of the beautiful grass. She could hear the crickets singing and feel the wind dancing. It was serene, but her thoughts were troubled. Merlin would have dangerous challenges in his lifetime and she planned to be there for every one of them. What if she wasn't though? Merlin needed to be prepared for the day that she wouldn't be present in his life.

It saddened her greatly to think about it, but that was the truth of reality. It was painful. Hermione sat and thought for hours, her mind in a completely different place. If she were to focus hard enough, she could almost believe that she wasn't present in the real world anymore. The morning light began to rise and with it, so did Hermione. She couldn't believe how much time had passed with her just sitting there, thinking.

Hermione looked to the castle to see her little brother 'sneakily' wandering out. He was carrying something wrapped in red fabric. She guessed it was Excalibur. Why would he be taking it? She got up and followed Merlin. She didn't make her presence known until they were out of Camelot. She tapped his shoulder and he turned to her startled. Hermione pointed to the sword and Merlin gulped.

He looked down in shame and whispered, "I messed up." Hermione nodded and understood that he meant letting Uther use the sword.

He whispered, "He told me to hide it where no mortal man could find it." Hermione knew he meant the dragon. So, she thought of all the books she had read. A place where no mortal man may find…..she snapped her fingers and smiled. There was a map of the lands in her future and so far they have all been correct. That meant that the Lake of Avalon was near and would be a perfect place for the dangerous weapon.

Hermione grabbed his hand and the two started their journey to the Lake of Avalon. Merlin didn't question where Hermione was taking him, he trusted her. Merlin had found long ago that Hermione had knowledge of many things that no one should have knowledge of. He didn't question it, just went with the flow of things.

The two reached the glorious lake and Hermione breathed in deep. It was glorious. You could feel the magic forming in mists. What she didn't expect though, was the morning mist to swirl into a soft shape and form the most beautiful woman Hermione had ever seen. Her hair was dark and flowed over her shoulder in a loose braid. A crown of pastel flowers adorned her head. The woman's skin was pearly white and her eyes a soft baby blue. The dress she wore was a whimsical masterpiece of flowing white fabric. The smile on the woman's face promised comfort and peace and Hermione couldn't help, but to let that comfort warm her. This was the Lady of the Lake. A woman to be held with the highest respect.

The woman walked out of the water like an angel and came up to them. Looking at Merlin's face, he was star struck.

The Lady spoke in a silvery soft voice, "What brings you to my Lake?" Merlin tried to speak, but no words came. Hermione just sighed softly and gingerly took the wrapped up sword. And unwrapped it before the Lady. Her eyes widened at seeing the sword. Like the sword was made of glass, she lifted it with the most delicacy Hermione had ever seen. She hummed, a beautiful sound.

"You wish to protect it?" Merlin nodded and the Lady smiled softly at Merlin. "Fate is such a tricky thing. Do not let your mistakes cloud your goals." Merlin's eyes widened and Hermione just smiled. Then, unexpectedly, the Lady turned to Hermione. Hermione felt as if her soul was being examined.

The Lady of the Lake said to Hermione with sincere eyes, "You did the right thing." Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. One of her worst fears come to light. She always wondered if she was doing the right thing by coming back in time. It ate away at her in nightmares and daydreams. Did she ruin anything? Did she destroy lives? What destruction had she brought? Those were the nagging questions. The woman, this Lady of the Lake put all her fears to rest with just a simply soft spoken sentence. She opened her eyes and saw the woman smiling at her.

Hermione whispered breathlessly, "Thank you." The Lady smiled and nodded. She began to retreat back into the water and in a cloud of mist, disappeared with the sword.

Merlin looked to Hermione and asked her curiously, "What did she mean?"

Hermione just looked at Merlin with a smile and signed, " _She meant what she said."_ Merlin was still curious, but he didn't push his luck. The two stood and stared into the lake, letting the overwhelming peace wash over them.


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright, on to the next chapter! I'm excited to write this one because I obviously changed a lot of Merlin's home life. Also, I have finally decided the pairing. It will be subtle because romance sickens me. Anywho, the final verdict is…..*drum roll*...Hermione and Gwaine! I haven't read any of those so let us try something new! ENJOY!**

" _Italics are sign language."_

" _ **Bold Italics are Parseltongue."**_

" **Regular bold is mind talk"**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Merlin….not mine. Clear? Crystal!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

Hermione and Merlin were in the village that spring day. Gathering supplies and just having a chat. It was peaceful. Like most days though, peace didn't last for long.

Merlin happened to spot a familiar face and shout, "Mother!" Hermione swiftly turned and her face lit up in the largest grin imaginable. That is, until their mother reached them. Hermione dropped her supplies and so did Merlin. On their beloved mother's face, was a big bruise. It took up her entire right eye and was beginning to swell. Hermione reached up a shaking hand to mother's face and her eyes flickered red with extreme emotion.

Merlin seethed, "Who dare lay a hand on you?"

Hunith took her children's hands and said sadly with tears in her eyes, "Ealdor is in trouble." Hermione looked at Merlin and he nodded. They needed to go to a better place to speak. So, they lead their shaken up mother to the outer walls of the castle where it was silent and demanded to know everything. Hunith told them about everything in Ealdor. How Kanen comes to take their food with his men. How Matthew tries his best to defend the village, but it doesn't work. How the children were going to starve if they didn't get food. Hermione couldn't control her pent up anger.

They were in a private place with no one around, so she did the one thing she knew would let off steam. She turned around and blasted out a long breath of fire. It was almost explosive and burnt the bricks. She finished her tantrum and turned to her mother and brother. She huffed out a puff of smoke and smiled almost serenely. That felt good. Really good. Her mother was looking at her wide eyed and so was her brother, but their gazes were not fearful. More amazed than anything.

Hermione signed to her mother after taking another deep breath, " _Why didn't you tell me? I've come to visit you and Lily many times, but you've never mentioned a word of it?"_ Hunith followed Hermione's signing and looked down in shame.

"Whenever you came back, you were so happy and, and, I didn't want to ruin that for you." She looked to Hermione with sad eyes and said quietly, "You were always so haunted, Hermione. Seeing you smile just made my problems not seem important enough to bring your face to frown." Hermione sighed and hugged her mother. She really was just too kind hearted.

Hermione and Merlin thought that they would try appealing Hunith's case to the king and see where that lead them. Merlin went off to see if Arthur could get a hearing and Hermione lead her mother to the castle, getting past the security guards took a while. By the afternoon, they were in the courtroom, watching the king shoot down their mother's requests.

Hermione couldn't blame Uther though. He had responsible reasoning for not helping, but it didn't make her anger any less. Her eyes were flickering red when her strong willed mother got on the floor and _pleaded_ for Uther's help. She could see the pain in the king's eyes when he rejected Hunith once more. Hermione and Morgana strode over to Hunith at the same time.

Hermione signed to her mother fiercely, " _Do not beg for your life like an inferior. You are worth more than this. Be the strong woman I know you are."_

Hermione saw Hunith's eyes harden as Morgana helped her up. Hunith took her arm away from the king's ward gently and walked away with a withering look to the king. The king looked at Hermione in suspicion, for it was something the girl had said that made the woman look at him with malice. Hermione just stood up straighter and bowed her head in a respectful, but angry. Hermione went after her mother while Merlin went off to talk to Arthur. He and Hermione had the same thing in mind and that was that they needed to go back to Ealdor to help their mother. Hermione may not have been born to Hunith, but she was family in every sense.

It took them a while to prepare, but Merlin and Hermione were finally by the horse stables. Hermione was surprised and a bit touched that Morgana and Gwen offered to come along. More than ever Hermione doubted that Morgana would become an evil witch. She had so much compassion and kindness. How could she ever become so hateful? Hermione didn't want to get into that thought too much, so they rode off on the road to Ealdor. Hermione stayed close to her mother in the back of the group while Merlin lead and the other girls rode in the middle.

Hermione was just extremely worried for not only her mother, but the entire village. It had become her first home in this time and she would protect it fiercely. There was no room in the world for people like Kanen. He was slimey swine that needed to be taught a lesson. Oh, and a lesson she would teach that dirty, rotten, no good, dishonorable, lowlife, bastardly, coward-

Her thoughts were cut off by a touch on her arm. She looked at her mother's worried eyes. She told Hermione quietly, "Your eyes are flickering. Calm down, darling. I'm fine now." Hermione took a breath and smiled at her mother. Gosh, how Hunith reminded Hermione of her birth mother. They were so similar in so many ways, it was almost painful.

The group stopped for camp as the sky began to darken. Hermione wasn't tired at all, but she could see the fatigue on all their faces. She set up the camp with Merlin quickly while Gwen and Morgana collected firewood. Hermione had to force her mother to sit still and take it easy. The camp was set and they had a small meal of bread and broth that Hermione had packed. Gwen and Morgana fell asleep while the family of three stayed up and chatted quietly.

Hunith told the two, "Those two shouldn't be here. Especially Morgana. Isn't she Uther's ward?"

Merlin nodded and said, "Yes, but they wanted to. Plus, no one will know."

Hunith looked at him and smiled. "I'm glad you found friends to care for you."

Hermione dramatically waved her hand and signed with an affronted look, " _Hey! I'm right here! You know, the one that kept your clumsy son out of trouble."_

Hunith shook her head and said, "Yes, Hermione. But I'm glad he has _other_ people." Hermione rolled her eyes and pretend pouted.

Merlin shook his head and said, "For one of the king's most trusted advisors, you sure are childish." Hunith gaped at Merlin as well as Hermione.

Her mother looked at her and asked, "Advisor?"

Hermione shook her and signed furiously, " _I am not the King's advisor!"_

Merlin shook his head and replied, "He asks you for reports on training, advice on mission strategies, on money matters and everything! Even if it's not official, you're as good as titled, Royal Advisor!" Hermione blushed a bit as she realized that she really did do all that.

heard a voice behind them say, "You really should listen to the idiot, Hermione. My father really does rely on your counsel...ah!" She had gotten up and thrown her dagger as soon as the last word left his mouth. She gasped as she looked at the dagger that had ended up in the tree behind his head. He looked at her and straightened.

The prince wasn't mad like she expected, he just said mockingly, "You missed."

Hunith got up from her seat and said in disbelief, "Prince Arthur?"

He nodded respectfully and Hunith asked, "Why did you come?"

Hermione saw Arthur pause and then reply, "Well, I couldn't let my servant go and kill himself! I'm not mucking out the stables." The three smiled at his response, knowing that he was there for Merlin. Arthur, uncomfortable with the looks he was getting, grabbed the dagger Hermione had thrown at him and handed it back to her after inspecting it.

He told her, "I never got close to it before, but you seem to favor it. Who gave it to you?" Hermione smiled ruefully and pointed to her neck and to the dagger. Arthur understood instantly. The dagger was owned by the ones who took her voice. The ones who put her through hell. Arthur held Hermione in high respect, but that fact alone made him respect her just a that much more. To hold the weapon of your tormentors and use it as your trusted weapon was the bravest thing he had ever heard of. It was honorable and he noticed that.

After a while, the group fell asleep. All except Hermione who was used to going days without sleeping. Some habits stuck with you forever. Like being prepared for an attack at all times and not sleeping for fear that someone would come in your cell and finally slit your throat. She heard the fire pop in front of her and took a breath. She slowly stuck her hand in the burning flames and wondered why it didn't burn. It was something that had confused her since she came here.

When she entered this time, she could feel her magic had shifted. It was more powerful than anything she had ever felt and she felt like a new person. She was always chilly and needed warmth. Which was probably the reason she didn't die of heat in the summer wearing long sleeves. She enjoyed night time and slept less. Shadows fascinated her even if she could always bend them to her will. Severus explained to her that it was a skill called Shadow Bending. It was never this strong though. She had managed to make a full set of large feathered wings and attached them to her back. All she had to do was learn how to use them. It was all so strange and in a way, she didn't feel like Hermione anymore.

The awkward, shy, and clumsy bookworm was gone for good. Yes, she still held reading as her favorite activity, but it was different. Her life revolved around more important things than research and school work. It was about keeping the ones she loved safe. Her brother was always her main priority. She didn't have time to worry about anything else. All in all, Hermione was a different person and she couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing.

They left the next morning after Gwen and Morgana's surprise at Arthur's presence. They talked about plans to rid the village of Kanen, until they were close enough to hear screaming from the village. Hermione and Merlin were the first in the group to speed at breakneck speed to the village. They were just in time to see who Hermione guessed was Kanen, holding an axe over Matthew. One of the bravest and kindest people in the village. Hermione grabbed her dagger faster than light and threw it at Kanen's head.

It just missed it's target. She growled and jumped off her horse, grabbing a sword. As did Arthur and the others except for Merlin and Hunith. Merlin was getting his mother to safety. Hermione was beyond enraged with these people, but what really set her off was the fact that one of the men had Elfric, Lily's father, in a death grip. Hermione grabbed her dagger out of the post it was stuck in and swiftly killed the man with a dagger to the head. Elfric gasped for air and Hermione helped him up.

She heard Kanen leave with the threatening words, "You'll pay for this! All of you!" Then, the coward rode out with his men still alive. Elfric looked into Hermione's face and gasped.

"Hermione! Oh, thank you!" He gave her a tight hug and released her. She chuckled and nodded to him. She grabbed her dagger out of the dead man's head, cleaned it in the dead man's shirt, and put it back in her belt. She looked at Elfric hesitantly and he just shrugged.

"Survival is key." Hermione smiled and nodded.

She heard the most relieving sound all day behind her.

"Hermione!" Hermione turned around to catch the sight of an excited little girl running towards her. Hermione caught the girl who had jumped into her arms and swung her around once.

She set her back down and said, "How's my Lily flower?"

Lily blushed and replied shyly, "Fine." Hermione smiled and looked to Elfric with a stern face. She looked for Merlin and spotted him. Hermione called him over and he came.

She quickly signed to Merlin who looked at Elfric and asked, "She wanted to ask why you never told her of Kanen."

Elfric sighed and replied, "Hunith asked us not to. Said you needed as much happiness as possible and shouldn't ruin it. Plus, we didn't want to bother you. You've already shown us great kindness."

Hermione felt her cheeks flush and Merlin chuckled. "Seems like people like you Hermione."

She rolled her eyes and was about to respond when Arthur shouted, "Gather the people Merlin!" Merlin nodded and went off. Hermione held on to Lily's hand and urged Elfric to join the group. Amora was already in the gaggle of people and hadn't seen Hermione or her family yet. Hermione was suddenly approached by Arthur and he stood in front of her, arms crossed. Lily squeaked and hid her face in Hermione's side.

Arthur asked Hermione, "Who is this?" Pointing down to Lily. Hermione tapped Lily's shoulder and pointed to Arthur.

Lily swallowed and said shyly, "I'm Lily. Hermione healed me from the attack on my village from the flying monster." Hermione could see Arthur melt at the sweet tone of the scared little girl. He could imagine why she was frightened. He was a tall stranger wearing armor that surely had some blood on it. He cleared his throat and nodded.

"Well, you are lucky then. Hermione is a fine healer."

Lily smiled and nodded eagerly. "She's the best." Hermione flushed at the compliment and Arthur raised an eyebrow.

All he said before leaving was, "Indeed." Hermione looked to Lily's hair and noticed that there was no clip.

She looked at the girl questionably and Lily chewed on her bottom lip and replied, "It's an expensive clip and I didn't want Kanen to steal it. Ma had me hide it." Hermione smiled and ruffled the girl's golden curls.

"I hope that wo-on't be a proble-em any longer." Lily looked at her with hopeful eyes and she felt even more determined to either kill Kanen or torture him to insanity. Since the man was already insane for laying a finger on her mother, she would have to kill him. Slowly and painfully.

Hermione heard her name being called by a sweet voice and looked to face Amora. Hermione smiled and hugged the woman. "It's good to see you Hermione!"

She nodded and said, "You too." They released from the hug and Merlin and Hunith had traveled over to them. Lily smiled at the both of them and waved.

Amora asked, "Are you really going to be helping us?" Merlin and Hermione nodded. They could see the relief just pouring off of Amora. Hermione thought for a second and pulled out her bag. She handed Lily a small wrapped object and Amora one larger.

When they went to unwrap it, Hermione stopped them and said, "For when you are alone." Amora was confused, but listened. As did Lily.

The group disbanded and Lily and her family went back to their home to fix things Kanen's men had broken while Hunith went to do the same for her own him. Hermione and Merlin joined Arthur, Gwen and Morgana. They were talking of a plan.

Arthur told them, "We don't have too many people to work with, but we need to start training. First thing in the morning. Hermione." She looked at him confused. He looked to Gwen and Morgana and then sighed heavily. "I need you to train the women that wish to fight." Hermione looked at him and then to a smiling Gwen and Morgana. Those two were full of good ideas. Hermione nodded to Arthur and then turned to Merlin.

" _You're going to have to help me."_

Merlin nodded and smiled. "Just like I promised Hermione. I'll be your voice." Hermione smiled once more and noticed Hunith walk up to them.

She said, "You all can sleep in my home tonight. Be warned, it'll be the floor, but at least it'll be warm." The three guests thanked her gratefully.

The evening fell upon them and the group found themselves in Hunith's small house. They looked and only saw two beds, but Hunith had two children. They wondered who slept on the floor, just out of curiosity. Hunith pulled out the blankets from under Merlin's bed and set them out over the floor while grabbing more from behind the curtain in the back of the room.

Hermione chuckled and signed to her mother, " _You were expecting company?"_

Hunith blushed a bit and replied, "It's a calming hobby of mine. Plus, the material you give me to make them should not be wasted." Hermione smiled and nodded. Hunith settled Arthur and Merlin on the floor closer to the table while Gwen and Morgana took the floor beside the bed that Hunith had to force Hermione to take.

Everyone was settled in, but there were only three occupants of the room asleep. Hermione was wide awake, pretending to sleep. Sleeping for her was harder without her animals. When they weren't around her in a comfy cocoon of safety, she just didn't feel tired. To be fair, she could feel Karma trying to radiate as much warmth and safety as possible. She was thankful for that.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Merlin were wide awake. They both had things on their mind. Arthur wanted to know more about Merlin's original home life and Merlin wanted to know why Hermione wasn't sleeping. He could just _sense_ her discomfort. Added to the fact that she was curled in a ball instead of stretched out. It was usually a sign that she felt tense or just not safe enough.

Why though? His thoughts were interrupted by Arthur asking him in in a quiet voice, "So, did you always sleep on the floor?" Merlin thought it was an odd question, but answered it nonetheless.

"Not really. Mum made a cushion on the floor for Hermione early in her stay, but she just ended up sleeping in my bed with me."

He could almost hear Arthur frown. "Isn't that a little…"

Merlin nodded and finished, "inappropriate? Maybe. We suffered from nightmares sleeping close to each other helped a lot. Didn't matter anyways. Hermione always left the house in the middle of the night and came back early morning."

"Why is that?"

"She loves the woods. So, I guess going for a leisurely stroll in the moonlight."

"What was it like?"

"Huh?"

"What was it like to share everything with someone? Someone you barely knew."

"It didn't bother me any. Me and Hermione have always had a special bond."

"Why did you leave?"

Merlin sighed and looked to Hermione. "Life was too simple. Day in and day out it was farm, clean and do chores. There was nothing else to it. Adding to that fact, no one really liked us anymore. Maybe that was the fault of Hermione's demon cat though."

Arthur shifted nervously, "Demon cat?"

Merlin nodded. "Big furry orange ball of meanness with a face only Hermione could love."

Arthur chuckled. It sounded fitting for some reason. Arthur told Merlin quietly, "I'm glad you came to Camelot."

Merlin startled and sat up, looking towards Arthur. The prince said, "I wouldn't have anyone to yell at in the morning! My other servants were just too good to find any fault to yell at."

Merlin snorted and shook his head. Merlin blew out the last of the candle light and tried to sleep, but it would not come to him. So, he did the one thing he knew would bring him and Hermione some sleep. He got up from the floor with expert silence and made his way over to Hermione's bed. She instantly scooted closer to the wall and Merlin slid in. Yes, it may be seen as inappropriate, but he honestly didn't give a damn. He would be as close to his sister as he wanted and that was final.

Merlin held Hermione close and whispered, "You miss your fuzzy menaces?" He could feel her laugh and reply with a nod.

He sighed and said, "I guess I'll just have to do." Hermione held onto his hand and that's how the fell asleep. Safe in each other a embrace.

The next morning, Gwen and Morgana had gotten up after Hunith while everyone else was sleeping. Hunith was silently cooking and working around Arthur's snoring form. The girls looked to Merlin's spot and saw it was empty. He must be getting firewood or something. The two got up and sat on the benches at the table. Hunith greeted them with a silent good morning. Arthur got up a few minutes later and sat at the table, waiting tiredly for food.

Morgana asked Hunith, "Where is Merlin?" She looked over to Hermione's bed with a fond smile and that answered their questions.

Morgana was still confused and asked, "Well, where is Hermione then?" Arthur rolled his eyes and pointed to the same bed.

Morgana and Gwen's eyes widened and Gwen asked, "Isn't that a bit…" Hunith came up with bowls of food and set them in front of the group.

Hunith answered Gwen's question, "Maybe, but that can't stop the two from being close. Plus, Hermione has trouble sleeping and so did Merlin for a while. It soothes them." With a better understanding of the siblings, the group dug into their delicious breakfast. Even Arthur enjoyed it. After they were finished, the group decided it was time to get ready. They watched as Hunith went to wake her children and were amused when Hermione pushed Merlin out of the bed when he wouldn't move. He landed on the floor with a thud and the group couldn't hold in their chuckles.

With everyone up, they began their day. Arthur began training the men and Hermione gathered the women. Hermione refused to let her mother and Amora fight, but the two overruled her. Great, now she had three people to look after in the fight! Elfric decided to fight as well. Hermione still didn't know what they would do with the children. They weren't safe in the forest and couldn't stay in the fight. She could only think of one thing and that was to find a cellar and hide them in it with a locking charm. She would make it comfortable obviously and soundproof it so they weren't afraid by the noise outside.

Hermione paused the training and asked Merlin to ask the women who had cellars. Merlin did so and six women raised their hands. She signed to Merlin and he translated, "Would you be willing to let the children hide in them for the fight?" They nodded and Hermione sighed in relief. Good, now that that was taken care of, they got back to training.

A nice little surprise happened during training. There was a shout over by the men and Hermione quickly turned, dagger ready, only to see one of the men on the ground and Crookshanks looking awfully smug. Hermione smiled brightly and walked over to the orange cat. He looked up at her and she put her hands on her hips.

"Crooks. What di-id you do-o?" He just purred and jumped into her arms.

She patted his head and said softly, "Orange menace." The man that was knocked down snorted.

"Orange menace indeed." Hermione turned to him and saw that he was the man that Crookshanks had beat up after he came at him with a pitchfork.

Hermione glowered and Merlin spoke up behind her, "You might want to watch your tongue, Mr. Simmons. Remember what happened last time you tried to skewer the cat." The man's eyes widened in a sort of fear and quickly got up from the ground and turned away. Hermione chuckled and turned away from the training men. When training started up again, Hermione was interrupted by a pull on her shirt. Hermione looked down into the beautiful eyes of Lily.

Lily whispered shyly to Hermione, "I want to fight, too." Hermione shook her head and called Merlin over. She signed to Merlin and Merlin nodded.

He knelt down to Lily's level and said, "We have a special job for you."

Lily looked excited and Merlin continued with, "You're going to keep Crookshanks safe."

Lily gasped and looked excited. "Really?" Hermione nodded and Crookshanks came to her. She picked up the cat and placed him in Lily's arms. He purred as Lily stroked his fur.

"So soft. I'll protect him! I promise!" Hermione smiled and Lily went on her way. Amora looked at Hermione with soft eyes and was glad Lily had a role model as kind and generous as Hermione.

Hermione watched in curiosity as Arthur sent Matthew to survey the borders. She hoped Matthew would be alright. Even with his Gryffindor bravery, he was still a bit of a clutz. Actually, Matthew reminded Hermione of Neville. They finished training that day and spent the evening sleeping. The next morning, they were strategizing for a trap to slow Kanen's men.

It wasn't until later when there was a scream heard by a very distressed woman. Hermione smelt blood and death. Oh no, Matthew! Hermione swiftly turned to see the horse Matthew was riding come back with a dead Matthew on top of it. He had an arrow lodged in his back and what she guessed was a note. Hermione sprinted over to the gathering of people and saw Matthews wife drop beside him and sob. Hermione slowly made her way to his wife, Sophia, and sat down next to her. Hermione slid her fingers on top of Sophia's and the woman looked at Hermione helplessly.

Hermione gave her her best reassuring smile and said, "It'll get better." Sophia broke down again and clutched onto Hermione. Hermione held Sophia until her sobs stopped.

Hermione whispered in her ear, "Matthew was brave. He's in a be-etter place no-ow. Probably breaking so-omthing in the afterlife." Sophia chuckled softly and released Hermione. Hermione gave Sophia's hands one last squeeze and left her alone with her husband. She ignored the looks she was getting and ran into the woods. Hermione needed to be alone at the moment. She had seen death and the sadness it brought, but actually witnessing its destruction on a human's emotions….it hurt. Hermione knew now what she would do to Kanen. She would kill him the slowest way possible. Even if people saw her as a monster after it, she would do it. Slice by slice, limb by limb. Hermione's mind filled with thoughts of pure and evil revenge.

That is, until an image came to her. The very dagger she held was being sliced into her skin. Over her wasn't Bellatrix though. It was herself. Wild hair, crazy red eyes and a feral grin. Hermione dropped to the ground on her knees and threw the dagger away from her. She didn't want to become a monster. She didn't want to become Bellatrix. Hermione clutched her head as the image repeated and repeated. She hunched and tried to control her breathing. She had just thought like an insane Death Eater! That's not who she was. She was- she- she-

Hermione never finished what she was about to think because comforting arms grabbed her wrists and gently pulled them away from her probably bleeding head. She most likely scratched up her scalp. A finger was gently placed under her chin and was lifted. She met the comforting eyes of Merlin.

She choked and said desperately, "I don't wa-ant to be a mo-onster."

Even if Merlin didn't know what she was talking about, he told her comfortingly, "Then you won't." She clutched on to his hand and they sat there. Hermione was organizing her thoughts from her mental breakdown and took a breath. Her conscience was clear and she found that she was just having an episode. Hermione didn't plan on _not_ killing Kanen because that would be stupid to let him live. She however, wouldn't torture him. She would humiliate him by beating him and then kill him.

Merlin helped Hermione up and she shakily signed to him, " _I'm sorry."_

He shook his head and asked her, "Why?" \

Hermione just sighed sadly and signed, " _You will understand someday."_ Hermione had no doubt in her mind that he would someday understand her turmoil. The two went back to the village to help their friends and family prepare for the fight of their lives. They weren't anywhere near good at fighting, but it was enough. People would lose their lives and it would be tragic, but that's what happens in war. You suffer losses.

Night fell upon them and Hermione had set up camp for the kids in the different cellars. They were sleeping in the cellars and Hermione soundproofed them and put a locking charm on them. She made sure Crookshanks and Lily had no chance of getting out. That was one thing she _needed_ to make sure was correct.

While the village slept, Hermione set up magical traps. She wouldn't risk her or Merlin doing magic in front of the people, but magic traps could help. She made sure that only the enemy could get caught in them. There were triggered sticking charms, venom shots, ropes, and some burning feet jinxes. That would surely give them the advantage. She sighed and set more things up. She told Arthur she would set up the fire wall and the other walls.

She finished everything in the early morning and felt ready for the fight. Arthur was rounding people up and getting them into armor. She went to check the locks on the cellars and found everything set. Morgana was set to light the fire wall and Hermione was set by the walls hid under hay.

Kanen's men were coming. The sound of horses could be heard and she was ready. They just tromped in and searched the houses. Arthur signaled her and she pulled the walls up. Their horses freaked out and went on a rampage towards the fire wall. Why wasn't it lighting? Morgana, come on! That's when she saw Merlin run out in the open towards Morgana. Oh, the fool!

Kanen shouted, "Kill him!" The shot arrows, but Hermione held a shield over her brother and he knew it.

He must have reached Morgana because the fire wall flew up and that was it! Kanen's men were trapped.

She heard Arthur shout, "For Ealdor!" There was a shout in response and the fight commenced. Hermione didn't want to admit it, but she was enjoying the fight. She slashed and used subtle magic. She found the men being stuck in her traps and drop like flies. They were down to half their people and the village people had little loss. Hermione looked over and found her mother facing a burly fellow. She stomped the ground with a blast of magic. It ran in the ground and electrocuted the man.

Her mother looked towards her with thankful eyes and the fight continued. They were so close. So close to victory. Hermione saw a man charge at her before she could react. He held her against a wall, choking her. She wasn't strong enough to unclamp his hands from her throat. Damn that hurt.

She hissed out " **Karma!"** Her trusted snake lifted from her arm and the man froze. She flashed her red eyes and the snake made his strike. The man dropped to the ground dead and Karma re-inserted into her skin. She took a breath and looked around. Kanen's men were beginning to retreat. She fought harder, killing more and more and she…...enjoyed it. Yes, that fact scared her a bit, but she accepted that she enjoyed the thrill of battle.

Kanen's men finally retreated, accepting the fact that if they continued they would surely all die. The only one who didn't run, was Kanen. Oh, she would have fun with this. He stood in fear, but still ready for a fight. She dragged her sword on the ground and walked over to him, slowly, maddeningly. Once they were face to face, she let her eyes blaze red. He gasped and tripped backward, still not falling. She turned them back to brown and knocked him off his feat.

Once she was standing over him with the blade held over his heart, she said with a scratchy voice, "No one lays a hand on my family and gets away with it!" His eyes widened and her eyes flashed red while she impaled him with the sword. He died after staring at her red eyes for an agonizing second. She made sure her eyes were brown and turned slowly to the crowd.

They were all looking at her with feelings between fear and amazement. Then, they began to cheer. The enemy was gone and would never bother them again. They were safe and thanked the visitors many times. Hermione received a lot of Hugs and handshakes. They all did.

Next, Hermione went to the cellars and let the children out. They all rejoiced with their parents and Hermione was greeted with the warm face of Lily and a very relaxed Crookshanks. Lily hugged her tight and then greeted her parents lovingly. Hermione looked to the ground and saw Crookshanks asking for her attention. She scooped up her half-Kneazle and snuggled him close. Oh how she loved him. Merlin ran up to her and hugged her tightly. She dropped Crooks and hugged her brother.

He whispered in her ear, "What did you do to drive them off?"

Hermione just shook her head and croaked, "Fear." Merlin stepped back and looked at her closer. He reached a hand to her neck and pulled her scarf down a bit. There were large handprint bruises and blood? One of the scars must have opened from the pressure. Hermione grabbed his hand and shook her head. She would heal it later. Let everyone enjoy their victory. Merlin understood her look and nodded.

Hermione could take care of it. She readjusted her scarf and looked to the ground where Crookshanks had yowled at her. Oh! She dropped him didn't she? Hermione picked him back up and apologized with many pats.

The group left an hour later and headed to Camelot. It would be a tiring Journey, but a peaceful one. They did a good thing that day and it would stay in their minds for as long as they lived.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you for all the support and I hope you're still reading and enjoying. And yeah, it's been a super long time. Well, I've had some important things going on and yeah. That's all I have to say really. ENJOY!**

" _Italics are sign language."_

" _ **Bold Italics are Parseltongue."**_

 **Disclaimer: I take no ownership of either Harry Potter or Merlin!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

More hunting! There was absolutely too much hunting going on in this kingdom. Now, Hermione was alright with fighting and weapons practice. Hunting animals though? That was something she drew the line at. Yes, she did it all the time while she was in animal form, but she could eat the entire animal. Even the bones. That was new for Hermione. When in human form, hunting just felt wrong. She ate meat, she didn't have any problem with that. It was just doing the deed that made her stomach twist and turn with a sort of guilt. Hermione was out in the woods anyways. It was dangerous out there so that meant that if Merlin was going, then she was as well.

Though, she felt horrible that they were having a grand old hunting trip so soon after the death of Tom, Gwen's father. It was a really sad and kind of exciting adventure? It really wasn't worth all the fuss, but her friend _did_ suffer a terrible loss. One she could relate too.

Arthur was out with his knights and decided, "hey, lets drag around my manservant to carry everything!" The great prat. Of course, she got over feeling bad for Merlin's predicament when she saw how ridiculous he looked carrying bags and weapons. The knights and Arthur had officially stopped seeing her as a fragile girl and let her do more with less fuss. It was amazing. So, there they were, crouched down and waiting for a beast. Hermione was stationed a ways away from Merlin and Arthur and she could see Arthur giving Merlin that, "your an idiot" face. Hermione sighed and was about to signal Merlin with a subtle pop sound beside his ear, when a loud sound was heard. Everyone paused in their movements.

Arthur tried to assure the men that it was nothing to fear. That is, until it charged out of the fog. It was the most fearsome creature she had ever seen. It was gigantic! The head of a snake, cobra. Fangs the length of a child's arm. Teeth razor sharp. It's eyes were golden with slit pupils and a death like glare. The body of a white leaped with black spots was attached to the gruesome snake's head. What was this creature? Even with all her knowledge, she had no clue.

Arthur was brave, strong and proud, but he knew when to run. The group of men quickly turned and sprinted from the creature that would certainly be their death. They ran and ran, but Merlin's feet got in the way and he tripped. Hermione sighed and turned back to see that the creature was above him, ready to strike. She couldn't do anything! No magic allowed. Luckily, one of the knights and Arthur pulled Merlin out from under the beast. He looked and saw it was Arthur and another knight that was his savior.

They kept running and didn't notice that one of their group had been taken out. They heard the roar, far away from them. They stopped and saw that the beast had stopped chasing them. Arthur looked around and saw they were missing a knight. They heard a scream from the forest and knew that he was as good as dead. The group returned to the castle in a rush to tell the king of what happened. Hermione could not believe that she had let that happen. She should have just sneakily followed the hunting party in her wolf form. She could have battled the beast,

The group walked through the city and were made a path through the people. It was as busy as ever and Hermione wished more than anything that it would all just slow down!

They rushed to the court and Arthur rushed in. "Father!" That was when Arthur described what had transpired and King Uther called on the court physician.

The situation was explained to Gaius and he looked about ready to pass out. "Sire, the description you gave me is the exact description of the Questing Beast. It is a creature conjured from the nightmares of a long-dead king. An omen of great upheaval!"

Merlin could see the king's eyes widen. "Then we shall kill it and stop anything before it happens. Arthur, prepare your men for a hunt, you leave at dawn." Arthur bowed and went to prepare his men, taking Merlin with him. Merlin could hear Gaius speaking, but couldn't make out the words. The king was mad though.

Meanwhile, Hermione had gone to do all the research she could on this Questing beast. Even in her time, she hadn't heard of it. Which was strange because she read the entire magical beast section in Hogwarts library.

Merlin helped polish armor, sharpen swords and fix shields. All of the men's supplies was ready for the next day. When the next day did come, Merlin dressed in his customary brown trousers, blue shirt, red neckerchief, and brown jacked. Merlin slipped on his boots and looked in the mirror to fix his messy black hair. His blue eyes looked over himself and he concluded that he looked alright.

Merlin looked around his small room with creaky wood floors, stained walls and small bed. His clothes littered the floor and his closest held barely anything. The only thing he was worried about was the magic book he kept hidden under the floorboards. That, was something he would never give up.

He fixed his jacket once more and threw his bag over his shoulder. He headed out of his door and saw Gaius waiting for him. Hermione wasn't there. Merlin didn't even know if she was coming! He looked at Gaius questionably and Gaius gave him a sad look. "You must be careful Merlin." He scoffed jokingly and replied, "I'm always careful!" Gaius gave him a serious look and said in a dangerous tone, "At the very heart of the Old Religion lies the magic of life and death itself. The Questing Beast carries that power. One bite, you die, and there is no cure." Merlin nodded at his words with caution.

Merlin took Gaius's words seriously. Hermione was there then. She looked as she always had. Just today, she had no excited smile, snappy remarks or a small smirk to show her confidence. She was scared. Merlin could tell by her stance. The way her eyes would flicker every once in awhile. How she kept her attention to Merlin and his safety. This beast must be pretty serious for Hermione to be frightened. Merlin and Hermione were standing in front of the Knights of Camelot, Arthur had finished his speech to motivate the knights and the doors to the castle swung open. Morgana, had run out and grabbed hold of Arthur. "You can't go Arthur!" She kept yelling and mumbling so Merlin decided to help. He ran up to Morgana and gently as possible guided her away. "Go up to Gaius, My Lady." She resisted and the guards had to carry her away. "You'll die, Arthur!" The doors closed and Morgana was cut off.

Arthur, Merlin, Hermione and the Knights of Camelot rode towards the forest. They wanted to catch the beast and kill it. Merlin knew it would be down to him or Hermione. A magical creature could only be killed by magic.

They entered the dark forest stealthily and Merlin made sure that he made no mistakes that time. Hermione stayed close to him and signed, " _I want you to stay safe Merlin. It is my job to make sure mum doesn't have to bury her son in pieces."_ Merlin looked back at her and responded, "Hermione, she wouldn't want to bury you in pieces any less than me. So, you stay safe too. I know I don't have the skill you have, but I'm not incapable." Hermione looked at him with a small smile and patted him on the shoulder. " _That's my warlock."_

They searched around for anything to give away the direction of the beast. They searched for over an hour until one of the Knights pointed to a giant paw print. Arthur bent down to study it and concluded it was the beast. They heard a growl and they all looked up. Nothing was there. "We follow the tracks" Arthur said with authority. They all followed Arthur in the direction of the tracks.

They only traveled a small amount of time until they reached a cave. Another growl was heard from deep within it. Merlin swallowed and knew they were going in. Hermione tightened her grip on her blade. Arthur motioned for the men to go down separate tunnels and Merlin followed Arthur to go on the far left tunnel. Hermione looked Arthur in the eye and said, "I'm going with you." The smart Prince didn't argue. The three tread carefully on the dirt ground. They reached a large space in the cave, littered with bones. The only light came from Merlin's torch and the the shadows danced on the wall.

They looked around and glanced at each other. A hiss was heard behind them and they turned around to see the snake head. Arthur pushed Merlin out of the way and began to fight the beast. Merlin watched as Arthur expertly dodged, slashed and stabbed. It was all in vain though. Arthur was pushed down and his sword was dropped. Hermione didn't know what to do! Reveal her magic or let Merlin handle this by himself. No, that would be selfish. Hermione knew Arthur was knocked out so she held back the beast with a shield.

Merlin quickly climbed a rise in the ground and called the sword to the air. He waved the torch at the beast that was positioned above Arthur, ready to kill. He saw Hermione holding off the beast and took his chance. Merlin got the creature to look his way and he enchanted the sword and it impaled the creature. The beast withered and tried to get the sword out of him, but it was futile. The beast fell and Merlin took no time to take pride in the fact that he just killed one of the most magical creatures ever.

He rushed over to Arthur and saw his eyes were closed. "No, no, no! You were not bitten!" He lifted Arthur's head and noticed the blood. Hermione dropped to the ground. She held off the creature! Arthur could only have been bitten…...when the beast knocked him down! Hermione had been too slow. She hated to do it, but she pushed Merlin out of the way and summoned a magi block unto the poison. It wouldn't hold forever, but enough time to figure out what to do.

All the while, Merlin couldn't stop thinking that Arthur had been bitten. Arthur's been bitten! No! He can't die! The Knights came rushing and they all quickly exited the cave. They rushed full speed to get their prince back to the castle. Horses hooves pounded against dirt and they rushed faster and faster. The castle came into view and they didn't stop at the gates. They rushed past the guards and came right to the front doors. Arthur was rushed through the doors, past every worker and no attention was payed to anything they ruined as Merlin raced ahead of everyone to get to Gaius. Hermione hot on his trails.

They finally reached the Court Physician and Merlin swiped everything off a table for Arthur to be laid down. The Knights rushed away to tell the king and Gaius looked at the wound. He looked to Merlin and asked sadly, "he was bitten?" Merlin nodded and said desperately, "you need to do something Gaius! Arthur has to live!" Gaius shook his head sadly and said, "I cannot cure him. The bite of a Questing Beast is beyond any power I hold." Merlin looked around desperately. Magic. Magic! He looked to Hermione and looked at her hopefully. She signed to him solemnly, " _The only thing I can do is transfer the venom to me, but I don't see how that'll help. I would gladly give my life for Arthur, but I can't leave you. I already put up magic blocks in the venoms pass, but it is a powerful venom."_

Merlin understood her struggle. He wouldn't have let her take Arthur's place anyways. If it were between his destiny and his sister, his sister would always come first.

"Gaius!" The three looked up to see the King rush in and go to his son's side. "He was bitten? Gaius, can you save him? Please Gaius."

"I will do everything I can."

"He needs to be moved to his chambers."

The King lifted Arthur and walked towards the door. Gaius gathered supplies and followed him. Merlin had something else he needed to do. Merlin ran as fast as possible to the dungeons. Before Merlin left, he told Hermione to help Gaius while he talked to the all knowing idiot dragon that would probably give him a riddle for an answer. Hermione told him to go an that witty zingers weren't important at the moment.

Merlin was still worried about being caught, but at the moment, he didn't care about anything besides curing Arthur. He grabbed a torch and sprinted down the steps. He reached the cave edge and the dragon was sleeping. "Oi!" The large golden dragon looked at Merlin with all knowing eyes. "I need to save Arthur! Tell me how!" The dragon looked at him closer. "Are you willing to do anything?"

"I'd gladly give my life for Arthur."

"Yes, but will you do _anything_?"

"Yes! Anything!"

"Go to the Isle of the Blessed. To save Arthur's life, you need to sacrifice one in his place."

Merlin nodded morbidly and he knew he was prepared to die. He would leave right away. Arthur didn't have that much time left even with the magical blocks. Merlin could save him. Even if it meant giving up his own life. He rushed to Gaius's chambers and packed a bag quick as possible. Obviously, Hermione would want to come She would find him "Where are you going, Merlin?" Merlin lifted his head to see a worried Gaius. "I'm going to save Arthur."

"You can't! The bite is fatal and you already tried."

"I'm going to the Isle of the Blessed-"

"No!"

"You heard of it then?"

Gaius hesitated and then sighed. "Yes."

"I'm going to plead for Arthur's life to be restored."

Gaius rushed over to Merlin and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, don't do this. For you to save Arthur's life, one has to be given in return!"

Merlin nodded sadly and gazed at Gaius. "Please" Gaius pleaded.

Merlin shook his head and said, "I have to. It's my destiny." With that, Merlin left. He passed no one on the way. Instead of grabbing a horse, he just ran to the forest where he knew Hermione already was. She had a sense about these things, plus he knew she was by the door when he was telling Gaius his plan. There in the forest was Hermione in Black shuck form. He hopped on and patted her behind the ear. She whined and he sighed. "I know it isn't ideal Devil, but it has to happen. I know you'll think of something."

The ride was bumpy, but he knew where he was headed. The white mountains came into view after only thirty minutes or so of riding a shadow traveling hell hound. They reached a small dock with a rowboat missing the oars. Merlin didn't know how he was going to get across in a timely manner. That is, before Hermione looked at the isle of the blessed, grabbed Merlin's jacket and transported themthere. He knelt over and promptly spewed on the rocks. How did she transport like that all the time if it messed up the stomach like that!

Merlin looked upon the ruined castle walls on the Isle of the Blessed. The rubble was everywhere and the waters were littered with leaves. Ruined walls and shadows created and eerie effect. The air held a sense of foreboding and dread that made him want to turn away, but he kept moving forward. They reached the middle of the island. Merlin and Hermione came to the circular clearing. Broken walls surrounded them and the grass was still green. What looked to be an altar sat in the middle of everything. Beautifully carved white stone and ultimately untouched. "Ah, you have arrived."

Merlin turned back to the altar and saw the person he was least expecting. Nimueh. Merlin could almost hear the fire burning in Hermione's body She was angry. He could sense it. Merlin looked at the witch and said, "You can't be the one I'm meant to see."

"You know me?"

"Nimueh."

"Very good. I am the one to see though. You are here for Arthur?"

"He needs to live."

"The Old Religion requires balance to life. For Arthur to live, another life must be given."

"I am prepared to die for Arthur."

Nimueh grabbed a cup from out of nowhere and held it out to him. "The one to drink from this cup, will have their life restored." She held her hand to the sky and whispered a spell. The clouds opened up and it began to pour. He held the golden cup out and it quickly filled. The rain stopped and Nimueh poured the water in an intricately crafted flask. "Give this to Arthur and his life will be spared. A life will be taken in his place." Merlin grabbed the flask and pushed it into his bag. He looked back up, only to discover Nimueh was gone.

Hermione grabbed Merlin's shoulder and pulled him back. He looked into her angry red eyes as she signed, " _I'm warning you Merlin. Nimueh is as sneaky as they get and she doesn't want you dead. She wants you to join her. The rules say one life, not yours. Do you know whose life you bargained?"_ Merlin stood stock still and peered at Hermione. She shook her head and replied, " _Nimueh wouldn't dare touch me. The little witch is too frightened. I guess we'll just find out."_

Darkness crept up on them and they headed back. Merlin had Hermione's words stuck in his head. He had bargained someone else's life? Who? He wished he understood people like Hermione did. She could sense evil from a mile away even if it was wearing a pretty smile and sparkling happy eyes.

Instead of riding back, Hermione just apparated back. She pushed Merlin to get to Arthur as she disappeared again.

He ran to Gaius's chambers and grabbed Gaius's hand. He dropped the vial he was holding and was pulled along. "Merlin!" Merlin shook his head and said, "no time! We need to get this to Arthur." Gaius didn't ask, just followed Merlin. They ended up in Arthur's room, administrating the elixir. The King came in the room in the middle of giving Arthur the water and asked, "what is the meaning of this?" Gaius came up with a good lie and Merlin watched Arthur. There seemed to be no change yet except for a change in his breathing. The king asked, "well, did it work?" Gaius sighed and looked at Merlin sadly. "We will just have to wait and see."

Merlin and Gaius soon left and Merlin was ecstatic! Arthur would live and...he would , hopefully. Merlin would rather he die than someone else. Merlin looked to Gaius and Gaius shook his head sadly.

It was time for them to sleep and Merlin completely expected never to wake the next morning.

His hand moved. Moved? He was thinking? Breathing? Alive? He was alive! A life has to be taken though, so who's life did he trade. There was something in his hand. He looked down and panicked. Merlin rushed out of his room and shouted, "Gaius!" He looked up and saw a red cloaked figure lying on the ground. "Hermione brought her here last night" Gaius said gravely. Merlin rushed around Gaius and choked. His mother? His mother! She had boils and bumps everywhere! Her skin was red and she could barely breath. "This is a deadly illness, Merlin." Merlin was angry. "No! It was supposed to be my life! Not my mother's! Mine!" Merlin held onto his mother and promised her that she would live. She couldn't seem to hear him.

Hermione sa in the corner with a tearful gaze. Nothing good ever came out of cheating death. Nothing.

Gaius situated his mother in his bed at Merlin's request and Merlin left. He had someone to talk to. Merlin rushed down the halls and to the cave where the dragon lived. He had a bone to pick with the manipulating lump of scales. Merlin grabbed the torch after sneaking past the guards and once again, sprinted down the steps. He came to the cave opening and the dragon was waiting. "You did this!" Merlin was angry. His mother was dying and it was all his fault. "I said I would give _my_ life! Not my mother's!" The dragon stared at Merlin and responded, "you said you were willing to do anything for Arthur's life."

The realization hit Merlin like a ton of stones. "You knew" he accused. The dragon did not deny the claim. "YOU KNEW?!" Once again the dragon stayed silent. Then he spoke up, "your destiny needs to be fulfilled! You need to help Arthur become king so magic can be free to use and I may be free." It all clicked. Selfish. This dragon didn't do anything for Merlin. He just wanted to be free. Yes, Merlin wanted magic to be legal, but the dragon just wanted to be free? "I thought you were my friend?" The dragon stepped forward and replied, "that and much more. You are my kin." Merlin's anger boiled over and he shouted, "no! My only family is my mother and Hermione and my mother is dying! I'm going to save her and _you_ " Merlin paused to take a breath, "will _never_ see the light of day!"

"MERLIN!" The dragon opened his mouth and shot fire at him. He erected a shield and was protected. "You will never be free!" Merlin shouted and the dragon roared as he ran away. "NOOO! MERLIN!"

Hermione sat invisible just around the corner. The dragon had never lied actually. This beast is probably the inspiration for Salazar's Slythern qualities somehow. The Great dragon had never lied to Merlin, just bent things in his direction. It was smart, cunning and she hated it. She was glad Merlin stood up for himself. He was becoming a big boy that didn't need her help. She sighed. Her little boy was growing up.

Merlin raced and raced. He dropped the torch a while ago and he slowed in the hallways. He was pulled into an alcove unexpectedly and was facing a haggard looking Morgan. Her black hair was undone, her porcelain skin was looking sickly and her green eyes held fear. "It is only the beginning" she whispered hurriedly. he removed her hands from his person and pushed away from her. She was going crazy. She was worried.

Merlin needed to go back and bargain for his mother's life. He needed to plead. Merlin said his goodbyes to his mother and Arthur. He had told Arthur to learn to listen and to not be a...Prat? He had already told his plan to Gaius. It was early afternoon and Merlin was prepared. He headed out the door and saw that Gaius was nowhere to be seen. "Gaius?" Merlin saw an envelope in the corner of his eye with his name scribbled on it. Merlin's heart began to sink as he got a bad feeling. He shakily picked up the envelope and tore it open. He read the note...

"NO!" Merlin ran out the door and sprinted as fast as he could. Gaius was going to give up his life for Merlin. He couldn't! He is not meant to die. Hermione was quickly informed of the situation and wanted to blast Gaius into the sun. All he needed to do was ask Hermione and she would have gladly traded her life for her family. Hermione quickly apparated Merlin and her to the Isle of the blessed and took a breath. Wow, was she out of shape for this distance in apparition!

The sun started to go down when Merlin and Hermione reached the center of the Isle of the Blessed. They caught the last of Nimueh's spell and saw Gaius laying on the ground. "No!" Nimueh cut off her chant and turned to Merlin. She looked almost happy. Happy?

Merlin's anger shone through and he yelled, "you killed him!" hermione was equally as angry, but she could feel something in the ir shift. Merlin would be victorious in this battle, she knew it. It was Merlin's time to shine and use the skills he had learned. It was time for him to take a step in becoming the great warlock history had foretold.

Nimueh gently set down the cup and walked towards Merlin. "He asked for it. Your mother is safe and on the mend. Is that not what you wanted?" Merlin shook his head violently and said in a low voice, "no. I was supposed to die in Arthur's place! Not my mother and not Gaius." Nimueh launched into a speech of joining her. The only thing Merlin could do is remember the selfish words the great dragon spoke. Nimueh would use him just as the dragon had.

Merlin got angry enough and sent a ball of flames at her. She just absorbed the power. "Your petty tricks won't work on me." She sent a larger flame towards him faster than he could react. He shielded himself with his arms, but it never came. He opened his eyes and was relieved to find a shimmering shield around him. Merlin wasn't the cause of it though. Nimueh looked angry at Hermione who had simply snapped her fingers.. She tried spell after spell, but the shield stood. The shield around Merlin dropped as Nimueh focused on Hermione. "You do not belong here! I have prepared for you Nyx and you will no longer get in my way!" Nimueh sent a dragon flame at Hermione and his wonderful sister did was open her mouth and eat the flame. Nimueh stumbled back and Hermione steadied herself and shot the flame right back out. This time, stronger. Hermione laughed and gathered up enough strength to speak. Her three vocal cords worked together to form the words, "Silly little witch. Didn't you know Hell Hounds live for flames?" Nimueh was angry and hurt. Her right arm was badly singed. Hermione looked to Merlin and signed, " _Finish it."_

That's what Merlin did. He shouted the incantation at the sky and Nimueh was electrocuted and exploded from bolts of lightning. His eyes were blazing gold and rain poured down. He forgot all about Nimueh when he saw Gaius lying still on the ground. "Gaius!" Merlin rushed over to him and tears pooled his eyes. "No! You can't be gone! Please!" He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around. Hermione was looking at him with a small victorious smile. She tilted her head towards Gaius and Merlin saw that his eyes were open. Merlin laughed in joy and hugged his mentor.

He turned to Hermione and tackled her to the ground in a hug. She hugged him back and whispered into his ear, "I knew you c-could do i-it." Merlin pulled back and responded, "Never without my big sister." She smiled at him and there the three relaxed for a while in the cooling rain. Reveling in the knowledge that Nimueh was no more. They were going to be okay. They could overcome anything standing in their way.

* * *

 **And it's finished! Yeah, I know. I planned a cool pairing and a sweet ending and everything, but I just can't type anymore. The loose ends are everywhere, but you've seen the show! I know for a fact that you could imagine what the outcome would be in your own imaginative way. But, maybe I like it this way. You can choose your own ending for the story. I might make a part two, I might not, who knows! But guys, I think I'm all written out for a very long time. So, I apologize and hope you've enjoyed what I could give. Thanks for reading, Darlings!**


End file.
